Inner Struggles
by InsertACreativeNameHere
Summary: AU. Astrid Hofferson always wanted to be a Shieldmaiden and restore her family's honor, but her plans are ruined when her father arranges a marriage between her and Berk's infamous heir. To add to that, mysterious Dragon Riders are attacking the villages in the Barbaric Archipelago. Astrid is pulled in the center of the conflict, seriously questioning her beliefs. [To be rewritten]
1. The Start

**Hello there peoples.**

 **It took longer to write than I thought, but it's** _ **mostly**_ **done. Seven months of rereading, rewriting and then rereading again. I've had an idea for this story for some time now and decided to finally write it. I haven't seen a story with a similar plot on the site, so I went for it. I'm going to play with the concept of few 'what ifs' and AU's and explore how one affects the other.**

 **I want to thank all the people that read my other story – Not So Bad After All. I also want to inform that there won't be any continuation to that. I just can't think of an original plot for it. Fear not, this story is almost finished and it does have** _ **something**_ **that I'd like to call a plotline. For this story I will be answering your reviews, either by PM or in the following chapters.**

 **Warning: I don't suppose everything will be 100% historically correct, BUT that wasn't what I was aiming for. I'm sure you noticed that the HTTYD franchise isn't completely historically correct either. Yes, I did a lot of research and Viking culture is something I'm very interested in, so I'm not purposely neglecting it. I tried to be as truthful about the Viking times, as I could. Well, except for the dragons, but, you know, they're kind of important.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon - books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Anyways – enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 1**

 **The one that started it all**

Astrid really hated her father right now.

As the Chief's daughter, she was _very_ aware of the possibility of an arranged marriage. It was very common between the tribes after all. That, however, did _not_ mean she was any more pleased, when her father, Egil **[1]** 'Fearless' Hofferson, announced that to rebuild the alliance between Hairy Hooligans and their tribe, she was to be wed to their Chief's son. Astrid couldn't possibly imagine herself in a role of some housewife; cooking, sewing and cleaning after her 'husband'. Not to mention bearing him children. She just turned seventeen for Thor's sake! Besides, Astrid was a warrior. A Viking through and through. It was her, that won The Dragon Training and killed her first dragon when she was only fourteen. With her long blond hair and ocean blue eyes, she was the village's beauty and pride. Astrid wanted to become the perfect Shieldmaiden and spend her life protecting her home from the dragons.

She hated those nasty reptiles. The devil creature she hated the most, known as the Flightmare, ruined her family's reputation. Astrid still clearly remembered that day. She was eight at the time. As every ten years, along with Avondale's Fire, there came the mysterious dragon. No one knew why it came, but every time it did, the dragon left many victims. The Flightmare was a very extraordinary creature. Its skin looked as if it was lit by some unknown source. Her uncle, Finn 'Fearless' Hofferson, a person she looked up to greatly, went to fight against the dragon. But then 'it' happened. The great and brave uncle Finn froze. It was said that the 'Fearless' Hofferson froze in _fear_. And with that the Hofferson's reputation went downhill. They weren't as respected as they were before. Other Chiefs avoided talking to Egil at the Things. Honor was something very precious to lose for a Viking, especially the Chief and his family. It was that day, that Astrid promised herself she'd avenge her uncle's death and restore her family's honor. She would show them what a Hofferson could do. And she had it all planned out for when the dragon would come back. But until then, Astrid would protect her village during dragon raids.

Of course her plan never became reality.

Why, you may ask? Well, about two and a half year ago the dragon raids stopped. Just like that. Of course, there still were some dragons roaming around further in the woods or in the mountains, but that was it. They never came near the village. It was like their thirst for blood had just disappeared. Astrid was nearly fifteen then and just starting to fight alongside adults. They had some dragons still locked up in their arena but not for long…

It happened a few months after the dragon raids stopped. It was one of those peaceful nights, when everything seemed quiet and calm. As the life-threatening raids stopped, most of the villagers allowed themselves to let their guard down a little bit. Not too much, though, they still _were_ Vikings. It was close to midnight when all Hel broke loose. At first there was a big explosion, that awoke everyone. Men and women ran out of their houses to see what happened. Then they saw IT. A dragon, black, fast and unlike any other they had ever seen. A Night Fury seen so close for the first time in the village's history. What shocked people the most was not the dragon itself, but what was on its back. Because atop the devil creature was a human figure, cladded in black armor.

The dragon swiftly flew towards the arena and shot a purple blast, causing another explosion. Parents, worried (and scared, but they'd never admit that while they were alive), hugged their children closer and some Vikings grabbed the closest weapons they could find to protect themselves and their families. It was all in vain though, as the dragon was nearly impossible to be seen in the dark, night sky.

"Fire the catapults! Get into positions!" shouted furiously Egil Hofferson. He would _not_ allow this monster to attack his village like that.

"Aye Chief!" answered the villagers. They were too slow though, because a few seconds later the black dragon with the figure atop flew above the small Viking village with unbelievable speed and the sound that the Night Fury was known for in the whole Archipelago. Following them were the dragons from the arena. Gronckles, Nadders, Timberjacks and many other dragons escaped their cages. The Vikings tried to shoot them out of the sky but only managed to bring down two Nadders and a Zippleback. The village was left in shock.

No one went back to sleep that night.

It happened many times more, along with destroying the dragon traps set in the forest. The Dragon Master and the Night Fury (as the Barbaric Archipelago started calling them) always came at night, unable to be seen and _very_ dangerous. They never harmed any of the villagers, but they _did_ destroy the defenses whenever the island's residents tried to shoot them down. In time, they started coming with some friends. More dragons with people on their backs. The results of those attacks were always the same – most of the captured dragons gone and the village's defense system in ruins. It was one big, endless and vicious cycle.

Of course, the Isle of Bjargey **[2]** wasn't the only island affected by the Dragon Master. There were hardly any islands in the Barbaric Archipelago that hadn't been attacked by one of the dragons with people in armor atop of them. There were many tribal meetings, at which the Chiefs discussed the problem, but none of those brought any improvements to the situation. It's an understatement to say that The Dragon Master wasn't the most favorite person in those regions. While some of the people admired him for his skills with the dragons, most of them feared and despised him. There were many, many stories of the dragon lovers and what the Dragon Master looked like across the whole Archipelago. None of them were true of course, as nobody was ever able to see the face of the most mysterious men in the history of the Archipelago.

Not long ago though, someone was pretty close. Astrid was going to her usual training spot in the forest when she heard some rustling in the bushes nearby. She stopped walking immediately and paused to listen intently to the weird sounds. It didn't sound like a boar or any other forest animal she could think of. Quietly, she tiptoed closer to the source of the noise. Astrid hid behind one of the bigger bushes and after a second she looked out slightly.

There IT was. The black dragon that haunted people in their dreams. Thankfully, it didn't notice her. She didn't even had time to look closer, because its Rider came out from behind a tree. The Dragon Master certainly didn't look like everyone imagined he would. In stories, he was seven feet tall with bulging muscles - the real one, while still above six feet tall, was a lot smaller. The Dragon Rider was definitely thinner than most Vikings, but still appeared to be strong in a lean sort of way. He was wearing the usual black armor, though it was unlike any Astrid had ever seen. It was a combination of metal, material and… were those dragon scales? She wouldn't be surprised if it were.

"I think that's the last one, bud." said The Dragon Master. His voice... His voice was a bit nasally, but it sounded so normal, so human… From what she heard, she would guess he'd be around her age. Astrid was so shocked, she backed away a few steps, which resulted in her accidentally snapping a branch. That, of course, drew their attention. Astrid cursed herself.

The Night Fury and its Rider turned around. She saw two pairs of vibrant green eyes staring at her, or rather the bush she was behind – Astrid was thanking every single god in Asgard that the bush was bigger than her. The dragon started growling and Astrid panicked, quickly thinking through her options. Running away now would be a suicide and even with her trusty double-headed axe she wouldn't stand a chance against the dragon _and_ its Rider. If they find her… Yes, she'd admit it – she, Astrid 'Fearless' Hofferson, was scared. She remembered reading about the Night Fury in the Dragon Manual few years back. One line had particularly carved itself deep into her mind.

 _Your only chance is to hide and pray it does not find you._

At least she could quickly examine the great Dragon Master's face. Or at least part of it, as most of it was covered. He had a fresh scar on his left eye, that looked a bit like a dragon claw mark. His skin was pale and she could notice some freckles there as well. Everything below his eyes was covered. He also had a hood that covered his head, though some loose, brown strands of hair were jutting from beneath the cloak . **[3]** Overall, he looked young. His narrowed, green eyes were flickering from side to side, searching for any threats. Astrid turned around with her back pressed to the bush.

THe blonde warrior stopped breathing for a few second and listened. She heard the Rider snooping around the bushes nearby, but after a few second he gave up. It was clear, that he didn't want to have a confrontation with anyone any more than Astrid. She heard something that must've been the dragon taking off in a rush. She sat there for a moment, unable to move. The blonde Viking slowly got up and looked around. On the ground, where few minutes ago was the devil couple, she could see the dragon's and his companion's footprints. The man's footprints looked weird – one foot was normal, but the other was smaller and was shaped strangely. She decided not to dwell on it, as it didn't seem to be the most important thing right at the moment. Astrid noticed something black on the ground. She bent down and what she found, was a black, round thing – the dragon's scale perhaps? She carefully tucked it in one of her pockets. She would examine it closer later.

The teenager decided it was time to go back to the village. She contemplated about telling the village about this encounter, but decided against it. It may have been considered foolish to do so, but many Vikings were telling tales of how they've seen The Dragon Master. All of them proved to be just some made up stories, and so the village didn't believe in anything remotely related to the Rider walking around the island and 'making friends' by day. Telling what she just saw, would only be viewed as another unbelievable story – especially, if she would say that thee Dragon Master was no more than a young boy her age.

All that happened about a year ago. While the memory of the Rider's look became a bit hazy, the one thing she clearly remembered were those green eyes, human's and dragon's so much alike.

* * *

"Aaastrid. Hellooo Astrid." The said girl snapped out of her thoughts when she saw a hand flying in front of her face and someone calling her name.

"Huh? What?" Astrid turned around to see her best friend – Ruffnut Thorston. The girl was the same age as Astrid. Ruffnut – or Ruff for short – was few inches taller than her but thinner. She had long blond hair, tied into three braids. Ruff almost always wore an olive and purple dress with a red belt and a fur vest. She had a twin brother – Tuffnut- and together they caused havoc and chaos around the village. They both knew how to fight – and fought well, but preferred to be the village's troublemakers, dedicating their free time to the God of mischief – Loki. As similar as the siblings were in personalities and appearance, they loved to fight with each other. You could not possibly see them _not_ arguing when they were in the same room.

"I thought you fell asleep there for a moment. You just kept staring at this tree for like ten minutes!" Ruffnut complained. Astrid looked around. Before her was the tree at which she was supposedly staring. Her axe was stuck in the dead center of it. In one, quick move, she yanked it out.

"I was just thinking." Astrid answered absently. She studied the edge of her axe. It was getting dull again.

"About what? Your Dragon Master?" the taller girl teased while chuckling. The only person that knew about her encounter with the Rider, was Ruffnut. In moments like these, Astrid was seriously wondering why she even told her or why she and her were friends. Then again – Ruff was the only girl her age in the village that she could somehow relate to.

"No Ruff. I'm… I'm getting married." She breathed out, defeated. The tone didn't suit her, she decided. Astrid looked at her friend. The twin was surprised to say the least, the previous laughter dying on her lips. Ruff knew how the shorter girl felt about marriage, she had a similar opinion after all. She stared at her friend with widened eyes and… was that pity? Astrid Hofferson did _not_ need pity from anyone. She took a swing and angrily threw her axe at the tree.

"Oh. That sucks."

"Yeah, it sucks!" she yelled. Okay, so maybe Astrid got _a bit_ of a temper. So what?! She was a Viking! And she definitely wouldn't tolerate pity from her friend, or anyone for that matter.

"Soooo… who's the lucky guy?" The taller blonde tried to lighten up the situation, though Astrid wasn't amused. If looks could kill, Ruffnut would've dropped dead right there and then.

"Son of the Hairy Hooligans' Chief" Astrid answered shortly as she went to retrieve her weapon. She did _not_ want to talk about it.

"Wait – isn't that that runt? What did they call him? Ah! Hiccup the Useless! He's the guy that destroyed more houses than the dragons back when there still were dragon raids!" At this point Ruffnut was openly laughing. Astrid, however, didn't find it that funny. She was fully aware of her 'fiancé's' reputation. They'd probably expect from her to make a Viking out of him or something like that. She doubted he would push her into something she didn't want, though if he did, she wouldn't have a problem to show him not to cross the line. The blonde wouldn't hold back in voicing her opinions. She wouldn't be surprised if it would turn out that she was the 'manlier' of the two. Although the last time she has seen him was when she was six and he seven. She hadn't seen him since, even during the Things **.[4]** Astrid herself was not really keen to meet other heirs, as that didn't seem important to her at the time, but she had never seen Hiccup spending time with them either.

She vaguely remembered a thin boy, with an auburn mop of hair and a freckled, pale face. She'd admit that the boy was not the worst company. His big imagination allowed them to have a good time playing. He was kind of funny too. And clumsy. But Astrid honestly didn't feel any need for a man in her life. Especially one that she saw more as a short-lived playmate, rather than someone who could defend himself if necessary or think like a warrior, someone she could somewhat relate to. Maybe he changed, she didn't know. But if the rumors were true about this 'Hiccup', then this marriage wasn't going to be easy. For neither of them. She would be stuck in an awkward arrangement that neither of them wanted in the first place. At least she assumed so.

"So-" Ruffnut tried to calm down, but failed badly as a snicker escaped her mouth. "when is the wedding?"

"They're coming in two days to sign the treaty. The wedding is in about a month." Astrid sighed and looked at the sky. It was getting dark. "Come on. Let's head back. It's getting late."

When they returned to the village, they quickly said their goodbyes and parted. Astrid was about to enter her house, when she heard someone calling her name.

"I heard you're getting married, Hofferson." said the over-sweet voice of Oili Ahlberg **[5]**. Astrid didn't really like the girl. Oili was half a year younger than her, but she was known to flirt with any boy in the village just to get their attention. Astrid had to admit though – Oili was very pretty. She had long, strawberry blonde hair, tied into a complicated braid that cascaded down her back. Her sea-blue eyes and full lips made her very attractive. The girl was a bit short for her age, but she was also lean. She always wore some kind of dress (quite short, mind you) with leggings. Oili was skilled with a bow and a sword. She seemed to be sweet and nice, but she could also be pernicious. The seventeen-year old hated how the girl was two-faced.

"Yeah, so what?" Astrid snapped. She knew she shouldn't have been so harsh but the blonde couldn't stop herself, the irritation from the whole day cumulating inside her.

" Nothing." Oili shrugged off-handedly. "I'm just surprised. They say you're gonna marry Stoick the Vast's son." Oili tilted her head innocently. But Astrid sensed something she couldn't identify, coming from the younger girl's voice. She narrowed her icy blue eyes.

"May I have an advice for you? Mind your own business Oili." And with that she walked away. Astrid entered her house, avoiding gaze with anyone. She wasn't in the mood to talk. The family was just finishing their meal, having some small talk at the same time. A blonde middle-aged woman with piercing blue eyes looked up at the person who walked in and sighed in relief.

"Honey, you're back. I was starting to get worried." said Astrid's mother, Solveig **[6]** Hofferson. Astrid felt kind of bad for making her mother concerned, but then she remembered the reason she left the house earlier that day.

" Maybe she was in the woods with some boy." sniggered Gunnar, Astrid's younger brother and heir to the throne of Bjargey after her wedding. He was two years younger than her but still pretty tall, almost reaching her chin. He, just like his sister, preferred to fight with an axe. The siblings had a pretty good relationship with each other, constantly teasing one another. He was actually the only person Astrid ever joked with. Astrid would especially tease her brother about his crush on Oili. Normally the seventeen-year old would answer back, but she was in a foul mood. The blonde teenager quickly climbed the stairs and went to her room, purposely slamming the door in the process. Solveig looked at her husband with concern.

" She'll get over it. It's for the best. The sooner she realizes that, the better." He shrugged trying to keep a straight face, though inside he too was worried for his 'baby girl'. He was reluctant to accept Berk's Chief proposal. He knew how it would affect Astrid and knew that she definitely wouldn't be happy with it. But from the Chief's point of view it made a lot of sense – for tribal politics and economy. Arranged marriages were very common and it was the most logical solution, but he also didn't want to punish his daughter by trapping her in that sort of arrangement. His own marriage was arranged, but he and his wife learned to love each other. He could only hope that his daughter would have just as much luck. And that she would forgive him.

He didn't know just how much this marriage would change things.

 **A/N:**

 **[1] Egil in Old Norse means 'respect, horror'**

 **[2] Bjarg in Old Norse means 'rock, mountain'. Vikings added –ey to the names to show that they are islands**

 **[3] Kind of like the one Heather wore in Race To The Edge.**

 **[4] Yes, I know that only men went to the Things, but I figured that if Bob-Burglars is a tribe led by women, they would allow the female heir to come as well. And so Astrid should be allowed to come too.**

 **[5] Oili in Old Norse means 'Divine Woman' ( a bit of a competition for Astrid, I guess); Ahlberg - from Swedish al 'alder' and berg 'mountain'**

 **[6] Solveig in Old Norse means 'from the house of strength'**

 **I hope you liked it. I have most of thing written up already (currently one and a half chapter to go), only making some minor changes along the way and constantly checking for any errors. I'm going to use some quotes and scenes from the canon, but they will most probably be in a completely different situation. I will sometimes torture you with the meaning of the names like above, or just some historical facts, because I find them really fascinating.** **I try to choose names to fit in with the characters. I'm planning to update twice a week in the afternoons – Tuesdays and Fridays. Note that it's the afternoon in my time zone, not necessarily yours though. The chapters (only chapters) are between 3,500 to over 4,500 (on one occasion even reaching 6 000) words each. I tried not to make them too long, nor too short.**

 **The rating is 'T' or in some parts maybe even 'M', for language, suggestive themes and descriptions.**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	2. The Meeting

**Hello there peoples!**

 **19 favorites and 40 followers after the first chapter? That's just… wow. Thank you so,** _ **so**_ **much, I wasn't expecting that.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series**

 **Enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 2**

 **The one with a meeting**

Astrid was nervous. 

Today was the day she would meet her future husband. The boat had already been spotted on the horizon, so it wouldn't be long before it arrived at Bjargey's docks. Her mother insisted, that instead of her usual armor with a spiked skirt, blue shirt and blue leggings, she would wear a dress. A dress! Her! Unbelievable! But after about a half an hour of arguing, Astrid decided to suck it up and agreed. Of course not without sending a few of her famous death glares towards her mother and Ruffnut, who was just standing there, laughing. Clearly the situation was quite amusing to the female twin. She did, however, wear her headband and kept her hair in her usual braid to the side. The dress wasn't that ugly, really, but Astrid always felt that dresses, especially the long ones, were simply impractical. How were you suppose to kick your opponent in something like that? 

She had been waiting with the twins near the docks. Ruff had said she'd be her moral support, but so far the only thing she had done was argue with her brother. Then, as Ruff was called by her mother to do some chores, Astrid was left alone with Tuffnut. Which was slightly awkward. They didn't speak to each other very often. The only time they communicated, was when Ruff was there too. 

"Are you going to move to this 'Burk' after the wedding?" asked Tuffnut, while picking his ear. He had long blond hair in dreadlocks. The male twin was wearing a blue tunic with a brown belt and a fur vest. He also had spiked shoes and arm guards. 

"It's _Berk_ Tuff. And yes – I'm going to live there after the ceremony is over." Astrid answered, sighing. She wasn't ready for this. She wasn't ready for some twerp to take away her freedom. The ship was getting closer and it would be mere minutes before it would reach its destination. The ship was big, with traditional Viking ornaments engraved on it. A flag with Berk's crest was fluttering violently in the wind. _Okay, Astrid keep it together, you can do this! You're a Hofferson!_

' _Not for long'_ she angrily reminded herself and clenched her fists. 

The ship finally docked. Vikings slowly started emerging from the boat and she saw the Chief of Berk. The strong posture and massive, red beard made Stoick the Vast hard to miss. He didn't really change, she thought. Behind him, there was a man a bit smaller but still Viking sized. He had blond hair and a lot smaller beard on his face. Astrid guessed he was one of Berk's representatives. She saw her father coming to greet their guests. He'd probably ask for her in a second to introduce her to her 'fiancé' and future father-in-law. Stoick the Vast shook Egil's hand and laughed at something that her father said. 

And then they all turned around to look at her. 

"Astrid! Come over here and say hello!" her father shouted from where he was standing. Reluctantly, she approached the two men. The blonde Viking was surprised to see that the Chief's son was nowhere to be found. She quickly looked around, to see if he was standing elsewhere, but there was no one on the docks looking remotely similar to Hiccup. Or rather to the boy she vaguely remembered from eleven years ago. 

" Nice to meet ye Astrid Hofferson! I heard a lot about ye!" Astrid turned around to the source of the booming voice. Here he was, Stoick the Vast, in all his glory. She was wrong though – he did change. Standing close to him, she noticed some grey hair in his enormous beard. His face was not young anymore, in some places she could see wrinkles and scars, the results of stressful life as the tribe's Chief and dragon raids. She smiled weakly at him and shook his hand. 

" Ye must be wonderin' where mah son is. He's not the biggest fan of seas, if I'm honest. The boy got a little seasick." Well, that was just _great_. A man came, or rather hobbled, as he had a prosthetic instead of his right leg. He also didn't have his left arm, in the place of which he wore a metal hook. The Viking had a long blonde moustache, tied into two, thin braids, and one big, bushy eyebrow. There was a metal tooth sticking out of his mouth. His eyes, blue like the sky itself, held warmness inside, a spark from the younger years. 

"How is he Gobber?" asked Stoick, in what, she supposed, was meant to be a whisper (Vikings can't whisper to save their lives). 

"Eh, he'll be fine. Nothing that this boy can't handle. He'll be as good as new in a few seconds." Gobber said with a wave of his hook. He then looked at Astrid. "And ye must be Astrid Hofferson! Pleasure to meet ye. I'm Gobber the Belch – the village's blacksmith. " He puffed out his broad chest slightly. "That boy is sure lucky to marry ye.'" Astrid smiled. She liked that guy. Not because he complimented her (she wasn't that shallow), but because of his cheery attitude. Then _he_ came out. 

It was obvious he wasn't feeling well, as his gait was wobbly and his face was unnaturally pale. Obviously, he looked different than she remembered. The last time she saw him was eleven years ago after all. He still had his unruly, auburn hair, but it was longer and (if it was even possible) more out of place. Some of his freckles had faded with age. The heir had a sharp jawline with some stubble on his chin and a slightly too big nose in the middle. And… were his eyes always that green? They seemed a bit familiar, but she couldn't place it for the life of hers. The eighteen- year old was probably taller than her, though it was hard to say when he was standing next to his massive father. He was still a bit lanky and his green, woolen shirt was obviously too big for him. Overall, he wasn't that bad looking, she supposed. Astrid felt her father nudging her from behind. _Here goes nothing._

"I'm Astrid Hofferson" she said in her serious voice, keeping her face emotionless. The blonde teen held out her small yet strong hand. 

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third." her 'fiancé' answered in his nasally voice. It looked like he tried to sound dignifying, but it came out a bit weak and hesitant. "Pleasure to meet you." He shook hands with her. Astrid was surprised to find out he had a stronger grip than she was expecting. 

" So what do ye say Stoick? Care to join us in the Great Hall for a meal? Ye must by hungry after the trip." her father asked, trying to brake the tension. 

"Absolutely!" roared Stoick, grabbing his thick belt with his meaty hands. "Always loved yer Great Hall. So much more spatial than ours. Come on Hiccup!" He slammed his son on the back, which almost sent the poor teen flying. Astrid had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. 

* * *

The dinner was disastrous. At least that was what Astrid thought. That was the most awkward meal in her entire existence. She and Hiccup were seated next to each other. Both of them tried _very_ hard to look anywhere but at each other for the whole meal. 

Somewhere in the middle of the repast, the huge, wooden door of the Great Hall flanged open and two young Vikings entered the Great Hall. They weren't from Bjargey, that was for sure. The first one was short but bulky, with black hair. His companion was a lot taller and bigger (some people would call him fat) and had short blonde hair. The taller one was hurriedly whispering to the shorter one. The dark haired teen was not pleased with him at all, which was evident on his face. Astrid heard Hiccup groaning beside her, mumbling something that sounded a bit like 'The gods hate me'. The blonde girl turned back to the new guests. As soon as she locked eyes with the dark haired Viking, he grinned smugly. Quickly, he came over and sat close to her. Too close for her taste. Astrid vaguely noticed Hiccup's normally warm eyes turning colder, as he looked at the newcomer. 

" Well, hello there beautiful." The black-haired teen said, trying to slung his shoulder around her. Astrid, though, was not having any of this. She narrowed her eyes dangerously and was about to show him a piece of her mind, when someone did it for her. 

"Snotlout Jorgenson! **[1]** This is the Chief's daughter!" snapped the Chief of Berk, his fists tightly around the table's edge. A look of realization came upon Snotlout's face, as he turned from confused to more than a little disappointed. 

"You're the one marrying Useless over there?" he asked half-heartedly, pointing to the teenager sitting beside her. His voice sounded a bit arrogant, like he couldn't believe that someone like _Hiccup_ was going to marry the blonde beauty, but there still could be heard a tinge of disappointment as well. Probably because it meant he couldn't hit on her anymore. Her father was present, he knew better than to try anything else. Astrid felt a bit of a relief when he sat at the table without another word. He quickly forgot about Astrid, as he noticed some girls sitting by the next table. He casted one, last look towards the Chief's daughter, 'nonchalantly' flexing his muscles. Then, as there was no response from her (beside an annoyed look), he turned to the girls next to him. Talk about dispersed… 

The other boy, the blond one, quietly sat by the table. She didn't even register when. The boy was avoiding her gaze, silently focusing on the food before him. 

"I'm really sorry for my nephew's… interruption." Astrid turned to the Berk's Chief. He was looking at oblivious Snotlout pointedly, clearly not happy with the whole thing. Wait… nephew? But that would mean- 

"He's your cousin?" Astrid asked turning to Hiccup. 

"Lucky me, right?" he muttered, rolling his eyes. Astrid only raised her eyebrow at that. 

"Fishlegs?" At Stoick's booming voice, the blond boy jumped in his seat, the food on the plate forgotten. "Would you mind explaining why you were late?" 

"Uhm, well, Ch-chief we got lost." He answered sheepishly. The Berk's Chief hummed in response, not really happy with it. Astrid looked at her father and saw that he was deep in thought. He then turned to her daughter. 

"Astrid, may I ask you to show the three young men around the village? It can prevent the guests from getting lost again and I have some things yet to discuss with Berk's Chief." Astrid nodded reluctantly and stood up. Both Hiccup and the blond boy raised themselves as well. Snotlout was absorbed in his own world, trying hard to impress two Bjargey girls. It didn't seem to be working, judging by the girls' a bit bored expressions, though the dark-haired Berkian was pretty stubborn. Asked if he wanted to join, he only waved his hand and went back to telling some story of how he 'rescued his skinny, weak cousin' from a dragon. 

With a not so subtle eye roll from Hiccup, the three of them left the Great Hall. 

* * *

Something about the way her fiancé was looking around the village was odd. 

It was like he tried to act all nonchalant about this, and for a random person it would actually seem like it. But Astrid, as a trained warrior, noticed something else. He was carefully scanning every single building in the village. For a person who looked to be a bit scatty, Hiccup was very focused on what she was telling them about her hometown. And the way he was walking… it was like he purposely shifted all his weight onto his right leg. She wished she could take a better look, but his friend, who was called Fishlegs apparently, was babbling something about Bjargey's fauna and it was both very distracting and annoying. 

She didn't get his interest in her village. It was nothing special, nothing above average. Bjargey was actually one of the smaller tribes in the Barbaric Archipelago, placed in the middle of the Sullen Sea. They didn't get many visitors, only some of the traders, Trader Johann being the most frequent one. Even though the island was small and rather sparsely populated, Bjargey people were known for having a lot of yields each year, making it easier to survive winters and, more importantly, Devastating Winters that followed. That was probably why Berk wanted an alliance. The Isle of Berk was situated far up north and winters were even worse there. The girl tried to focus more on her betrothed, but it seemed nearly impossible. 

" So," Hiccup interrupted his friend's torrent of words. Astrid sighed with relief. "Can you show me your dragon arena now?" That got Astrid a little confused. 

"Why would you want to see our dragon arena? There are hardly any dragons left and the whole place is practically in ruins." She narrowed her icy blue eyes at him. Hiccup looked at her somehow innocently. 

"I-I just wanted to see it. Isn't it a part of the tour?" His voice turned unsure, as if he suddenly realized that maybe he'd been too bold. Astrid was about to say something, when she was interrupted. 

"Ohh, we should totally do that! I heard that there's a Snafflefang there! We don't have those on Berk." Exclaimed Fishlegs with wide eyes and pure excitement written all over his face. "I read in one of the books that they have diamond- sharp teeth and their fire is brightly colored to help them find their favorite kind of rocks in the caves! " 

Astrid was a bit taken aback by the bigger teen's reaction. She looked over at Hiccup, who just shrugged hesitantly. 

"He likes reading about dragons." he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Astrid sighed. She had many other, better, things to do. She even missed her morning training. 

"Eughh… fine then. Come on." she said and led them to the arena. 

The old ring was situated on a hill near the south end of the village. The area around it was mostly empty, except for the Vikings guarding dragons' cages. No one had any reason to come there anymore. Every dragon, that they captured, was 'rescued' by the Dragon Master and his friends within two weeks. It wasn't enough time to make the dragons suitable for dragon training for the younger kids. Astrid often contemplated why they even kept capturing the dragons, but she supposed it was just out of habit more than anything else. Or maybe the villagers still thought that dragons may attack, even though there hadn't been a single dragon seen anywhere near the village for over two years. The had to venture deep into the woods to find those. 

The blonde girl exchanged a few words with the guards and they entered the arena. The construction was very similar to any other ring in the Archipelago. They all were built to look alike **[2]**. It was a bit bigger, though, and the gates to dragons' cages had small openings with bars that allowed people to see inside. The walls of the training ring were full of traces of burns and scratches. There still were some unwashed stains of old, dried blood. Astrid didn't remember when was the last time she had been there. 

Hiccup had a somewhat disturbed expression. He kept tracing his hands over the walls and the gates separating the dragons from him. When the auburn-haired teen looked through the small openings, he actually looked sad and… disappointed. That was the complete opposite of Fishlegs' face. He quickly trotted to the cages and started mumbling excitedly under his nose. At some point he also took out some cards from his pocket. The cage with the bright-colored Snafflefang interested him the most. 

"Spiked tail… armor 16, no, 17!… Jaw strength 8… "he muttered completely absorbed in his own world. "Oh hoh Fishleeegs!" he shouted excited. Honestly, he was hyperventilating a little. 

"Is he always like that?" Astrid asked pointing to Fishlegs. 

"Huh, what?" Hiccup jumped, surprised. He stopped examining the arena's walls and snapped his head towards Astrid. She just rolled her eyes in return. Is every man so easily distracted? Astrid noticed Hiccup looking intently at the scorch marks and some melted metal at the top of the arena. 

"That's from the Dragon Riders' attack five days ago." She explained. It was evident in her voice she wasn't happy with that. Her fiancé only hummed in response. He then went to the gates of the dragons' cages. 

"You should have someone look at those. They look like they won't hold on much longer." he pointed to the gates' locks. 

"And how would _you_ know?" She didn't intend to sound so hostile, but she was too tired and annoyed for that. The dress was getting on her nerves. She couldn't move in it comfortably and it made her feel trapped. 

"I _know_ , because I have been Berk's blacksmith apprentice since I was ten." he responded dryly. " And I can see when a lock" he gestured the rusty, metal object "needs to be repaired." 

"Fine. I'll mention it to the village's blacksmith" Astrid answered in a bit less angry tone. Then she cleared her throat and added. "Thanks." 

"Sure. No problem." Hiccup smiled slightly. She decided to ignore it. A middle-aged guard came towards them. 

"Miss Astrid, it's almost dragons' feeding time and I must ask you to leave." Astrid nodded and called over Fishlegs and Hiccup. The bigger teen had some difficulty to part with the dragons' cages but, after a pull from Hiccup, he eventually left the ring with the others. Surprisingly enough, Ruffnut was standing at the entrance with her arms crossed. Bored, she was examining her nails. At the sound of the front gate opening, she looked over at Astrid and offered her a small smile. 

"Hey. Your father sent me for you. Said that you should escort those two" she pointed to Hiccup and Fishlegs talking some distance away. "to the guest house and come home." Astrid nodded and was about to call the boys over, but Ruff stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. 

"One more thing" she lowered her voice slightly and leaned closer." You never mentioned that Hiccup was hot. If you ever get bored of him, you know where to find me." Astrid felt her face heating up from the embarrassment. She punched her friend in the arm. 

"Ruff!" she whispered-shouted " You can't say things like this! And besides, two days ago you were calling him Hiccup the Useless, don't you remember?" 

" I didn't know he looked like _that_! Have you seen his ass?" If it was even possible Astrid's face went even redder. She hid it in her hands. _Oh Gods above…_ It was by far the most uncomfortable conversation she ever had with Ruff. And that was saying something, as her friend was never one to beat around the bush. Ruffnut, ignoring her friend, called over the two Berkians and all four of them went towards the guest house. They all said their quiet and awkward goodbyes, after which the boys went inside, leaving Astrid and Ruffnut alone. 

"So, what do you think of him so far?" Ruff asked, playing with the end of one of her braids. 

"I don't know. I don't know him that much. He seems like an OK guy, but…" 

"But what?" the taller blonde asked, seeing hesitance on her friend's face. Astrid clenched her fists slightly. Ruffnut was her friend, she could tell her, right? 

"He's just so different! I mean, look at him! He would hardly be able to lift a weapon, let alone fight with it! And there's just something about him – like he's keeping a secret. I don't like that." She huffed annoyed. Ruffnut looked at her with her eyebrow raised. 

"What do you mean?" 

"He just kept looking at all the buildings in the village, as if he wanted to remember every single detail, catch _everything_. And in the arena, he just… It's very hard to notice. He's good, but I was able to pick it up." 

"He might be just curious." Ruffnut shrugged. She saw her friend's unconvinced face. "You honestly can't be thinking that this whole treaty is some kind of a bluff and they sent him here to catch out our weaknesses." Ruff rolled her eyes slightly, though it wasn't a light matter. Not on Bjargey. If it would come to anything of that sorts, Bjargey would lose surely. Berk was bigger and had more allies in the Barbaric Archipelago. The shorter blonde shook her head. 

"No, I don't think that. But there's something fishy about him. And I'm going to find out what it is exactly." she stated determined. Astrid haven't even realized when they reached her house. She quickly bid her friend goodbye and was about to go inside, when she saw something moving some distance away. If the mop of an auburn hair and thin posture weren't enough to recognize the person, the dimly-lit face was. Hiccup looked around slightly and then vanished into the woods. Astrid gaped at that. Sure, he could have a reason for that weird behavior, but Astrid somewhat _felt_ that it didn't have anything to do with answering nature's call. She almost followed him but stopped herself at the last moment. If he did actually go to spend a penny, she didn't want to barge in while he was doing it. Astrid shook her head and entered her house. Her father was sitting at the table looking through some papers. Upon her arrival, Egil looked up. 

"I'm happy you're home. How was your day and more importantly – what do you think of him? He seems to be nice. I know he isn't exactly a Viking role model, but maybe you could teach him a thing or two?" he asked with hope. _And so it begins…_ Astrid cringed inwardly. 

"He's alright I guess. Haven't really talked to him." She shrugged. Her father nodded his head and returned to the papers. Tribe's accounts, it seemed. Astrid admired her father for doing even more work after a hard day. That was something she never looked forward to when it came to being the next Chief, or in her case - Chieftess. Astrid was fairly good at being a leader, people usually listened to her, and she was a good strategist, but she had no patience for paperwork whatsoever. 

"Go to sleep Astrid. We're signing the treaty in the morning and I need you to be there." He said to his daughter. Egil sounded tired and the girl wasn't surprised. Astrid went to her room and after taking off the hideous dress, she laid on her bed. She was very determined to find out if the young man was hiding anything. And with that thought on her mind, she dozed off. 

**A/N:**

 **[1] I think (I'm not 100% sure) that Spitelout is Stoick's Second in Command. If he isn't- then he is here. I would imagine that in that case Spitelout would be left in charge of the island while Stoick is away. Snotlout, as Spitelout's oldest son, would take up a role of representing the Jorgenson clan at the 'royal' wedding.**

 **[2] I mean, I would assume as much. The ring on Outcast Island looked a lot like the one on Berk (at least from what I remember, though I could be wrong). I think that all the rings would have been built on similar basis as they have the same function. Some changes, here and there, but no major differences in the structure of the ring. At least that's how I see it.**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you liked it.**

 **Guest** **: Thank you for being the first one to leave your opinion on my story. And I'm glad you like the historical notes. I think of myself as a fairly organized person, so you can expect me to follow my schedule ;)**

 **LunnaValley23** **;** **SMr. Freeze** **;** **kaleidoscopez;** **Anonymous Noob the 2nd** **and E** **igomi** **: Thank you for leaving your opinion and I'm really happy you like it so far. Hope I won't disappoint :D**

 **Angryhenry: I very much appreciate your enthusiasm :)** **Hope that you like the second chapter**

 **If you have any questions regarding the story, please, feel free to leave it in the review or PM me, and I'll do my best to answer them (without revealing too much, of course).**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	3. The Deal

**Hello there peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 3**

 **The one with a deal**

Astrid was determined. 

She woke up early, dressed herself and went to the Great Hall with her father, mother and brother to sign the treaty. The village was just starting to wake up and the streets were fairly empty, but by the time they reached their destination, quite a lot of the villagers were already up and about. All of them greeted Astrid and her family with a genuine smile. While the Hofferson's weren't that respected in other tribes, Bjargey was as respectful to their Chief's family, as they could. Astrid insisted that she would wear her usual clothes with her trusty axe strapped on her back. She held her head high. She was going to have a 'talk' with Hiccup today. If the teen was hiding something, she would find out. Of course, it would have to wait until after the treaty was signed. She wasn't exactly looking forward to that. 

The Hofferson family entered the Great Hall. Stoick the Vast was already sitting at the main table with his son. To Astrid's dismay, Snotlout and some other important people from Berk were there too. Hiccup's cousin looked really bored, but the moment he saw her, he made an (unsuccessful) attempt to actually look interested. Why was he so damn persistent? Wasn't it clear enough that she wasn't interested? Besides, Astrid was getting _married_ and to his cousin no less. Did he expect her to run over to him and express her love and admiration? Yeah, she didn't think so. She sat between her father and Gunnar. It was a perfect position for her, because not only could she analyze the treaty with her parents, but also observe the auburn-haired teen sitting across the table. 

The treaty signing turned out to be more boring than she anticipated. There weren't any really interesting things discussed, only economics and trade. At some point she had difficulty to stay focused, yet Hiccup somehow looked very interested in everything that was said. She felt a bit bad about it – she too should be interested in those kind of things, but she was more of an old-fashioned take-it-down-with-an-axe-and-then-lop-its-head-off kind of girl. 

"The wedding will take place here, on Bjargey, and after the morning gift is presented to Astrid the next day, she'll come with us to Berk. There, the two of them will celebrate their honey-moon." Said the booming voice of Stoick the Vast. Astrid snapped out of her thoughts. She should probably listen to this. 

"It will be in three weeks on Frigga's day." Her father added with a nod. Three weeks?! It only now hit her that it wasn't a lot of time. At all. She would have to say goodbye to Ruff and Tuff. And pack all her things. Astrid would have to find herself a new training spot when she arrived at Berk. And what about her family? Would she not see them at all after the wedding? 

"How often can I come here and visit?" she asked instead, trying to sound calm. If they thought they they're going to separate her from her family, they had another thing going. Both Chiefs looked at her a bit surprised, as if they haven't even considered the matter yet. 

"I don't know dear. It won't be that often, I'm afraid. Maybe we can come for Snoggletog?" her mother answered unsure of how her daughter will take that information. 

"Snoggletog?! Mum, that's seven months from now!" Solveig shot her an apologetic smile. Astrid was not happy with that. She would have to live on Berk for half a year, not knowing anyone beside her husband, her husband's irritating cousin and her father-in-law. Why it had to be her? Why she had to be sold off to another tribe like some kind of a yak? Astrid was practically their tribe's peace offering, so they would have at least one stable ally in the Barbaric Archipelago. The blonde teen knew that this marriage was important and the alliance with the Hairy Hooligans may be helpful in restoring the family's honor but… that's not how she wanted to bring back the respect. She didn't want be remembered as the Hairy Hooligan's Chief's wife. Astrid wanted to be known for herself, for her skills on the battlefield. She saw Hiccup looking at her intently, though when she glanced at him, he quickly turned his head away and continued to listen to the discussion. 

The rest of the treaty signing went smoothly. The two Chiefs were happy with the arrangements, as they were beneficial for both sides. Bjargey promised to give some of its crops to Berk, and Berk would protect Bjargey in case of any attacks as the Berkian army was much bigger. There was a small discussion about the Dragon Master's problem. At that Hiccup was even more focused. He was drinking up every word. Stoick nor Egil came up with any solution, though, apart from strengthening the defenses. They promised themselves, that if they would come up with any ideas, they'd give a sign. After that, they had talked a bit about wedding preparations, but Astrid zoned off at that. She honestly didn't want to listen about it. 

Then the two Chiefs went to sign the treaty. As there was no dragon blood, which was usually used to sing treaties, they used normal ink. After that everyone cheered and some Viking announced a feast in the Great Hall in the evening to celebrate the union. Astrid was free to go, so she went to train with her axe a little. Normally she would do it in the morning, but she didn't have the time today. The girl felt that blowing of some steam first would be a good idea. She cast one last look at Hiccup and promised herself that she'd have a talk with him after her training. 

* * *

Sometime in the afternoon, still a few hours before the big feast, Astrid went looking for her fiancé. It turned out to be more difficult than she originally thought. It wasn't a big island for Odin's sake! And yet, she had been looking for him for some time now and hadn't seen a sign of him. She sat defeated on a tree's stump in the forest, a few minutes away from the village. Suddenly, she saw something in the woods. Astrid narrowed her eyes. It couldn't be! 

A few feet away, in the forest, was her fiancé. Talking to Oili. And it sounded like they were having quite a good time. The two teens looked around and deciding there was no one near, they parted their ways saying their last goodbyes. It didn't look like a casual meeting of two strangers. Astrid hid herself behind one of the trees. What were they doing together? Hiccup haven't even been on this island two days and Oili already tried to flirt with him? Did they know each other? She didn't think so, that was highly unlikely. She had so many questions, though. Hiccup was getting closer to the place where she was hiding. Astrid decided to not wait any longer and confront him.

"What were you doing in the woods?" she asked along with sending him her best death glare. Hiccup turned around surprised, almost tripping himself in the process. He had his hand placed on his chest and his green eyes widened upon seeing her. 

"A- Astrid?! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you coming. You nearly gave me a heart attack." 

" I asked," Astrid wetted her lips. "I asked what were you doing in the woods. With her." she pointed her axe towards the place where the two teenagers were standing a few minutes before. Her patience was ending. The blonde teen was finished playing games with him. Hiccup seemed to think for a while, after which he looked at her with a small, nervous smile 

"Oh, you mean the girl – what was her name-Oili? I went for a walk in the forest. I do that all the time at Berk. And then I saw her. I thought that maybe she would know where the blacksmith here is. You see, I wanted to visit it later and-" he didn't get to finish his rumbling as he was pinned to one of the trees with an axe to the throat. Astrid was furious. She knew he was lying, his facial expression and body language were an enough evidence for her. 

"That won't work with me. I can see that you're lying." she snarled angrily at the boy. Hiccup looked at her, sea of emotion visible on his face. First there was surprise and shock, but after a few seconds, Astrid could see the beginnings of anger. He had a frown on his face. Astrid squashed him further into a tree, a challenging expression on her face. Hiccup's green eyes flickered to the axe and then back to her. In a few, quick seconds the situation changed drastically. Hiccup was the one pinning Astrid to the tree with his own dagger to her throat. Her axe long forgotten laid on the ground few feet away. His face was so close, she could see every detail of it. He's emerald green eyes were staring at her angrily. He had two scars on his face – a small one on his chin and a bigger one on his left eye and eyebrow. He was taller than she expected. Hiccup towered over her a good few inches, making her reach only his chin if she were standing beside him. Astrid tried to free herself, but to not avail. He was definitely stronger than everyone gave him credit for. 

"Let me go!" she shouted after yet another failed attempt to escape her fiancé's grip. She kicked him in the left shin, but the other teen didn't even react. It felt almost as if she hit a piece of metal, instead of flesh. 

"I think we need to clear a few things up before I do that." He withdrew the knife from her neck, though he still had her trapped. Astrid felt herself breathing out heavily at the lack of cold metal pressing onto her throat. He didn't seem as angry as he was before, but he wasn't calm either. His grip was awkward, he clearly wasn't used to holding people up that way. 

"Astrid, I will _not_ be threatened by you. Really, after years of mistreatment back home, this doesn't affect me anymore." Hiccup shook his head slightly. Astrid noticed her axe from the corner of her eye. It was definitely out of her reach. Getting it back wasn't an option right now. 

"You're a liar." She spat out instead. Words could be her only weapon for the time being. "You're hiding something, aren't you?" 

"You're quick to make judgement Astrid." He shifted his weight on his right leg. Maybe she hit him in the shin quite hard after all. "Everyone has secrets." He seemed to have shrugged, though she wasn't sure. He looked at her with those green eyes. "But I can assure I do not mean any harm to you or your village." 

"And how can I be sure that what you say is true?" she narrowed her blue eyes at him. 

"The only thing I can give you, is my word." His voice sounded almost timid, which didn't really match his stance. "Look, it's something personal. I don't know you. And you don't know me either. It'd be foolish of me to start going around telling every stranger my personal facts, wouldn't it?" The image of the scene from the woods flashed in front of her eyes and she furrowed her brow. The wide smiles, Oili's slightly reddened cheeks, the way they looked around before parting… 

"Does it have anything to do with Oili? Are you two having some secret affair or something?" It didn't quite add up, though. Unless Hiccup found some way to visit Bjargey unnoticeably, then there was no evidence to prove that. The heir of Berk hadn't been on this island for eleven years and even when he had been here for the first time, Astrid was pretty sure that he hadn't even met Oili. 

"Affair? Do you seriously think, that all of this" he gestured with his head to him pinning Astrid." is because I want to hide an affair? As I said before, your friend just showed me where the blacksmith is. Nothing more." He sighed. "I don't mean to hurt you, or anyone. Can I release you without getting punched in the face?" 

Astrid pretended to ponder on that thought and nodded. Hiccup slowly released her. The blonde Viking then tried to attack him by surprise, but was too slow. Her fiancé swiftly grabbed the fist, that was flying towards him, and twisted it behind her back. Hiccup kicked the legs from under her, making her fall to the ground. Astrid tried to get up, but it took her a moment too long to do that. By the time she stood up, the area around her was completely empty. She stomped angrily and fuming in anger she made her way back to the village. Astrid could tell everything to Stoick or her father. But there were two things that stopped her. First of all, no one would believe her. She, Astrid Hofferson, the best warrior her age, had been tricked by Hiccup the Useless. That sounded as ridiculous as it could get. Second of all, if they believed her (which she was sure they wouldn't) the whole treaty would be dismissed and that would be bad for Bjargey. Especially if it turned out that Hiccup's 'business' was harmless just like he said. When she pictured her confrontation with him, it went a bit different. 

Astrid was so distracted, she didn't notice she entered the village until she bumped into someone. The blonde teen looked up to see Gobber the Belch. 

"I'm so sorry, sir. I wasn't looking." The older Viking only smiled at the girl. 

"Eh, it's fine lassie." He answered in his usual cheery tone. "If you don't mind asking, do you know where Hiccup might be?" Astrid snapped her had towards the Berk's blacksmith. What should she tell him? Technically, she didn't know where her fiancé went off to. 

"Ah, I saw him by the forest. He said something about going to the forge." It wasn't a lie at least. Gobber seemed to think for a while. 

"Aye, that would make sense. He wanted to see it. I'm curious about it me self, to be honest. Would you help an old man and lead him there?" he asked with a hopeful look on his face. Astrid was about to refuse, as she didn't want to face her fiancé just yet, but that would come out rude and this cheerful man didn't deserve that. Besides, she promised her father that she would try to be nice to the guests. It wasn't like she was intentionally rude, but social skills just weren't exactly her strong point. 

"It would be my pleasure, sir." She answered instead. The blacksmith smiled and Astrid couldn't help herself but smile a little as well, even though it felt a bit forced. They started walking through the village. Gobber looked to be deep in thought. 

"Astrid, I know that the boy doesn't look like much, but please give him a chance." He said after few minutes. Said girl looked at the veteran Viking warrior a bit unsure, so he continued. " He had a rough childhood spent mostly alone. Let's just say he wasn't the most favorite person in the village. There probably wasn't a day, when he didn't come to the forge injured by some of the older kids. " Astrid nodded, looking at the ground, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world at that moment. 

"Yeah, I heard." 

"He means well, but he doesn't always _do_ well. He was trying to fit in, creating all different kind of inventions, and it always backfired. He stopped four years ago, though, and I'm sad to see that the boy gave up. He has a brilliant mind. One of the best defense systems on Berk were created based on his plans and even the Dragon Master has some difficulty against them!" he exclaimed with pride evident in his voice. Astrid was surprised to hear all that. If the information about these defenses were true, then it would be a great addition for Bjargey. 

In no time they reached the Bjargey's forge. The small, wooden hut on the outskirts of the village, a place so often visited by her. Hiccup indeed was there, helping out Vern **[1]** , the village's blacksmith. They were laughing at something, probably one of Vern's old jokes, ones she has probably heard a hundred times by now. Astrid smiled slightly at the chuckling Hiccup despite herself. Then her foul mood returned, as she saw that Hiccup was 'struggling' to lift an axe. After what she experienced in the forest, she wasn't going to believe that the same person who could successfully pin her down to a tree, wasn't able to pick a simple axe. It was all an act, she realized. 

Astrid didn't like liars. Not. One. Bit. 

"I would love to stay but I have to help my father with the feast." She quickly said. Astrid didn't want to see that lying rat now or any time in the near future. Gobber, somewhat disappointed, bid her goodbye before he entered the forge. Before the blonde teen left, she managed to lock her eyes with Hiccup and send him a glare that said she still haven't forgotten their little 'talk' in the woods earlier. She then turned on her heel and walked away, purposely swaying her hips. 

* * *

The feast was a huge success. The food was delicious, the music great and everyone was having a great time. Well, almost everyone. 

Astrid was sitting on the front steps of the Great Hall. She was still angry at Hiccup. And to make the matters worse, she lost her axe. Astrid thought she must've forgotten it when Hiccup tripped her, but when she came back to the spot where it all happened, there was no axe anywhere. She looked through every single bush near the spot, in case it had been thrown there by accident, but it was nowhere to be found. Her mother was going to kill her – it was Solveig's family axe. Ruffnut tried to talk to Astrid at the beginning of the feast, but her friend was in a foul mood, so she left after a while, giving the shorter blonde some space. While Astrid was sitting on the stairs, Oili walked pass sending her a somewhat smug expression. It was like she knew something that Astrid didn't. Astrid decided she _really_ didn't like that girl. The blonde teen snapped out of her thoughts when she heard someone clearing their throat. 

"Is this spot taken?" Astrid looked up to see the owner of the voice, only to find the last person she wanted to see. 

"What do you want, Hiccup?" she asked slightly irritated when her fiancé decided to sit beside her. 

" I wanted to apologize." He said after a moment of silence. Astrid looked at him with a mix of surprise and doubt. Something about the way he was looking at her made her stay and listen to what he had to say. 

" I'm not usually that… violent. It was an instinct to defend myself. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about and that you would do the same in my position. I acted on impulse and for that I'm sorry." He explained with his arms moving around. "Though, to be honest, it was you who attacked me first." He shrugged as Astrid narrowed her eyes at him. In an attempt to ease the situation, Hiccup reached behind him and took out an axe. Not just any axe though. 

"That's my axe! Where did you find it?" she exclaimed relieved. 

"You left it in the woods. I thought you might want it back." He replied, smiling a little. Astrid traced her hand over the blade and balanced the axe between her hands. She frowned. 

"This feels different." She noted. She might have been wrong, but she thought she saw Hiccup slightly blushing. It must've been a trick of a light or something. Yep, definitely. 

"Oh, yeah I rebalanced it and replaced the handle. Now it's appropriate for your weight and height. You should be able to throw it further and with more strength." Astrid hated to admit it, but she was impressed. She thought about making some changes to the axe, but never actually did anything. "I thought it might be a peace offering too." Hiccup added. Astrid looked at him. 

"You can fight." It wasn't a question but a statement. He answered with a soft 'yeah', not meeting her eye. 

"Why?" she asked after a beat. Gobber said that Hiccup desperately wanted to fit in. If that was the truth, the why, in the name of Odin, would Hiccup hide the fact that he can pick an axe with ease? Maybe even fight with it. That was something that would help him for sure. And yet, the young man pretended to be weak, further worsening his status in the village. He must have a good reason, right? She couldn't think of any good things that could result with that. It was clear that the people from Berk who arrived with him didn't have a clue of the boy's act. And if they did, then they were good actors themselves. She didn't understand him. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. 

"Why what? Why I know how to fight? I don't how to tell you that, but we're Vikings. Some might say it's an occupational hazard." he tried to joke, but Astrid was not amused. 

"No. Why do you pretend to be weak and clumsy when you're not?" she asked and looked at him intently. His eyes flickered to his left leg for a brief moment, though Astrid still noticed. He redirected his gaze to the stairs of the Great Hall. 

"Maybe I am. How would you know?" he shot back, bitterly. Astrid punched him in the arm. Hiccup yelped in pain and held the injured limb. He shot her an angry look, but the girl ignored it. 

"I know because someone with those kind of reflexes and grip you had back in the forest is certainly able to pick up an axe with ease." She said. Hiccup sighed, running his hand over his face. 

"I have a reason for that, but… as I said before, I don't know you. It's my personal issue. I don't feel like confessing anything to you." On one side, Astrid could understand his point of view. She wasn't very keen on telling _him_ her personal facts either. On another, that wasn't something small to hide. It could change the whole view of the Berk's heir, who was known in the Archipelago as Stoick's little mistake. Why wouldn't he want to change that, was beyond her. Who knows what else he was hiding as well? Hiccup's voice cut through her thoughts. 

" I don't want us to hate each other, Astrid. I know that neither of us wanted that, I mean the arranged marriage, but I want this" he gestured them " to work somehow. We started on the wrong foot. What do you say if we start again? Just give me a second chance." He held out his hand and looked at her with eyes filled with hope. Astrid thought about it. She didn't want them to hate each other either. Maybe starting over wasn't such a bad idea after all. 

"One condition though." 

"And that would be…?" Hiccup asked hesitantly. 

"No more of this 'I'm weak and can't pick up a weapon' shit. At least not around me. Save the lies for someone else. I'm giving _you_ a second chance, not the character you're pretending to be." 

"Ok. Fine. I'll be _all_ me around you if that's what you want." He beamed. " So… deal?" 

"Deal." She agreed smiling and shook his hand. Maybe it was the soft wind that fluttered his bangs or the moon reflecting in his eyes, but she found herself slightly blushing. What was _wrong_ with her? She _never_ blushed. That's when they both realized that they still were holding hands. They quickly took their hands back, as if they were on fire, and averted their eyes. Astrid couldn't get rid of the weird feeling that settled in her stomach. 

"So, uhh…" Hiccup scratched his neck and Astrid cleared her throat. "If we're starting again, then" he stood up and smiled "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third. Son of Stoick the Vast, heir to throne of Berk" Astrid got up and smiled slightly as well. 

"Astrid 'Fearless' Hofferson. Daughter of Egil Hofferson, heir to the throne of Bjargey." Hiccup bowed mockingly. 

"Pleasure to meet you Astrid. I hope we can be friends." 

**A/N:**

 **[1] Vern in Old Norse means 'of an alder tree'**

 **In one week I managed to injure my thumb (the one on my dominant hand so I'm practically useless right now), I've been sick for the last few days and the site decided to shut down on the day of the update. That's not my week, I guess :D**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading and I hoped you liked the chapter. I know that Hiccup might seem a bit OOC, but you have to note that it's an AU. Hiccup spent the last four years a** _ **lot**_ **differently. Every moment in our life shapes our character and I hope it'd be easier to understand as the story progresses.**

 **Guest 1** **: It should be** _ **me**_ **thanking** _ **you**_ **for the reviews and the support :)** **Seriously, they encourage me a lot. And fear not, as I said before, the story is almost finished (and I have a lot of time to finish it in time) so I'm not going to abandon it. I am really glad that you liked the chapter. It's very important to me for the story to make sense. Also, saying that it's well written is really heart-warming as English is not my first language.**

 **Eigomi** **: Thank you very much and I hope you enjoyed this one as well :)**

 **Angryhenry** **: I am really glad to hear that :D I hope that you liked that one too**

 **Guest 2:** **I agree with you that it's hard to tell, though I have my own theory about it all. ;) I'm not sure if Gobber was left in charge then. Okay, we don't see anyone else to fit the bill, but the only thing we know, is that Gobber stayed because of Dragon Training. No one said anything about being left in charge, at least I don't recall it, though my memory is a bit bad** **Plus, in the TV series Gobber is not doing really well with helping the Chief and Stoick's reaction makes me think that it was the first time Gobber was passed some Chief duties. That's just my opinion, though. I could be wrong** **Anyway, thank you for the review**

 **CartoonLoverBecky** **: I hope you got my message. :)** **For some reason the word 'nudity' has been censored.**

 **Guest** **3** **: I'm really glad to hear that you like it so far** **:D Here's the continuation, hope you enjoy it as well**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	4. The Axe

**Hello there peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Guys,** _ **very**_ **important thing. As Sonochu noticed, there's something wrong with how the story shows up on mobile phones. I have no idea why it happens. Every chapter is posted the same way and from the same computer, and yet, the first chapter is fine, but the rest… not so much. If you know what is going on or how to fix that, please tell me. Sorry for the weird mobile version, but for the time being I am unable to do anything with it.**

 **On that happy note (sarcasm included) – enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 4**

 **The one with an axe**

Astrid was content. 

It had been a week since hers and Hiccup's talk on the stairs of Bjargey's Great Hall. Astrid spent that time getting to know the real Hiccup better. Well, that was what she wanted to believe anyway. At first he was really stiff and awkward. One time when she touched his arm by accident, he flinched away as if the contact burned him. Fortunately, along with time passing, he got more and more comfortable with her presence. When he was with other people, he 'struggled' with objects and she knew it wasn't for real. He picked up those things when he was with her just fine. She had some problems with other things, though. There were times at which Hiccup appeared to be an awkward mess that stuttered and tripped for no reason, when they were alone as well. She had trouble distinguishing if it was an act or not. She really wanted to believe that it wasn't. There was something endearing in that, she couldn't quite understand it. And the way his arms moved when he talked - it was like they had a life of their own. It didn't matter if it was something in the forge or just sketching, his hands were always moving around. Astrid would never admit it, but she really enjoyed when he got all caught up in something he was doing. He just traveled to a world of his own, completely forgetting what was happening around him. It reminded her of the shy boy that visited Bjargey eleven years ago. It was kind of adorable. 

Wait… adorable? Astrid Hofferson didn't do _adorable_. _Get it together, for Odin's sake!_

The blonde teen was just on her way to the forge to get her axe sharpened. Third time this week. So, _maybe_ she wanted to visit Hiccup too. There was nothing unusual about this. He was her fiancé after all and to be honest, the girl was curious about her betrothed. Astrid stopped at the entrance of the forge. Hiccup seemed to be working on some kind of a sword. She didn't know why he insisted on helping out in the local forge, but it apparently made him calmer. Vern was a bit surprised at Hiccup's unusual request to work there from time to time, but agreed nonetheless. She quietly crept towards the window opening and sat on the windowsill, so that she got a good view of the auburn-haired teen. Astrid wasn't staring – just observing. Yeah, that's what it was. He had a different shirt on. One, that was actually in a right size for him. Hiccup definitely didn't seem to be as bony and skinny as his oversized shirts led to think. He wasn't overly muscular, like his cousin for example, but he was somewhat lean. Bulging muscles weren't her type anyway. She guessed the whole shirt thing was a part of the act to make people think he was weaker than he actually was. 

"You know, your axe is getting dull very often lately. Maybe I should change the whole blade." A nasally voice brought her back to reality. Astrid momentarily snapped from her thoughts. Hiccup turned around, cleaning his dirty hands with some kind of an old, used rag. He had an amused smile on his face, his slightly cracked teeth more noticeable than usual. 

"Well, maybe the guy who does the sharpening isn't very good at his job." She teased back with a small smile and a raised eyebrow. He just shook his head, chuckling. Astrid didn't know how it happened. Roughly a week ago, she would prefer not to spend any more time with him than necessary, but now she visited him on her own, even joked with him. Astrid was never one to joke around, except maybe with her brother. She somehow felt relaxed and free around the eighteen-year old. She didn't know why - usually she was a quite self-contained person. His calm, cheerful demeanor made her _almost_ forget about the 'incident' a week ago. She still didn't have the slightest clue of why would Hiccup behave this way, but she hoped that, sooner rather than later, he would explain it to her. She never let her guard down and yet, she felt at ease with Hiccup. As if they were old friends and not strangers. He had this weird effect on her. For all she knew, he could turn out to be a criminal. The quietest ones could turn out to be the most dangerous. Somehow she couldn't imagine that when it came to him. 

"How was your training?" he asked, as he got back to his work. 

"Good. I still want to know when you train. We could spar together." Astrid knew it was a touchy subject. She saw him stiffen at the words. He admitted he preferred a sword and that would be it. She couldn't make him say anything more, about the way he fought, which technics he used or who even taught him. She sometimes saw him wondering in the woods at late hours, but he always shrugged it away, saying he liked to go for a walk before he went sleep. She'd admit, she tried to follow him more than once, but she always lost him after few seconds. It was like he vanished into thin air. 

Ignoring her previous statement, Hiccup put the sword he was working on to the water to cool off. There was a hissing sound and steam flew everywhere. After a few seconds, he took the sword out and put it on the table. Hiccup took off, apparently Vern's, leather gloves and reached for some metal objects that were laying on one of the higher shelves. 

"I'm going to change the locks on the gates in the arena I told you about before. Want to come with me?" he asked, holding out the brand new locks. Hiccup insisted that he would personally do them and then bring the new locks to the arena. Vern finally agreed after Gobber assured him that Hiccup knew what he was doing. Astrid found his fascination with the locks quite weird, but didn't comment on it. 

"Sure. Why not?" she shrugged. Astrid didn't really have anything to do. They didn't need her for any measurements yet and the seventeen- year old wasn't going to complain about that. Besides, it'd be a good idea to spend more time with her betrothed. Step by step, she was closer to finding out what was going on. At least that was what she wanted to believe. 

"One second." he said, holding up a finger and went to the backroom to change his shirt. He came back in his usual, oversized one. 

The two Vikings headed towards the arena. While they were walking, Astrid could feel all the stares on her back. Every villager seemed very interested in the couple walking. Didn't they have work to do? In small villages like Bjargey, or even Berk, rumors traveled fast, very fast. She saw Oili from the corner of her eye, watching them. Astrid held her head higher and started walking faster. Hiccup didn't seem to notice the stares at all, lost in his own world as usual. 

"So, I heard you were the victor of the Dragon Training." He started, after they already left the village's center. There was something in his voice she couldn't quite place. He didn't look at her, his gaze was solemnly on the ring that could be seen in the distance. 

"Yeah. Did you participate in the one in Berk?" Astrid was curious about it. He was the Chief's son, so he should've taken part in it. Then again, his situation was different than what she was used to. Hiccup shook his head absently. 

"No, my father decided I wasn't ready. I get it though – I wasn't able to pick up a sword back then, let alone defend myself against a dragon." He smiled sadly and Astrid raised her eyebrow slightly. " I really couldn't do that, it wasn't an act then." Astrid only hummed in response. She could understand that that would motivate him to train himself. But the matter of hiding it from everyone was still abstract for her. 

When they reached the arena, the two teens saw Fishlegs coming out. That surprised Astrid. What would Fishlegs be doing here all by himself? She knew he got very interested in some of the dragons there – they managed to capture a pair of Gronckles this week, but she thought the Berkians had those back home. Hiccup smiled slightly at the blond teen. Astrid asked him about Fishlegs before. Hiccup explained that they weren't exactly 'friends' per say, but Fishlegs and him talked sometimes. He was the closest thing to a friend he had back on Berk. When she thought about it like that, it was kind of sad. She didn't have much friends of her own, but that was because she didn't feel the need to. 

"Fishlegs. What are you doing here?" she asked. Astrid didn't intend to sound hostile, but she guessed it didn't exactly work, as the boy squeaked a bit. She had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. 

"I-I was just looking. The Gronckles you captured were of a color, I've never seen before and I wanted to write it in the book." He replied quickly holding out a book which, when she looked closer, turned out to be a copy of Berk's Book of Dragons. "I have to go to… do stuff…yeah." Astrid sent him a weird look. 

Hiccup and Fishlegs nodded to each other wordlessly. It must've been a trick of a light, but it looked a bit like the two teens quickly exchanged something other than glances. It took only a second for their hands to 'accidentally' brush against each other so she couldn't be sure. She thought she saw a folded piece of paper given to Hiccup from Fishlegs, though. The auburn- haired teen was looking at the arena as if nothing happened and when she narrowed her eyes to see his right hand, there was nothing there. Maybe she was just looking into things too much. 

The guards gave them some space, walking out of the ring for the time being. Hiccup was changing the gates' locks in silence. That gave Astrid some time to think. What if she _did_ see Fishlegs giving something to Hiccup. She knew her fiancé was hiding something. What if Fishlegs was a part of it? If she looked at all this logically – why was Fishlegs even here? He wasn't Hiccup's family and he wasn't here with _his_ family either. Earlier, Astrid thought that Fishlegs was here as Hiccup's closest friend, but now she knew they weren't that close. He wasn't a representative of any high-placed family in Berk either. While Astrid was lost in her thoughts, Hiccup was fixing one of the last locks. It was a Deadly Nadder's cage. 

"Astrid, what do you think of dragons?" Hiccup asked quietly while working. He kept his gaze on the lock. That was a bit of a stupid question, having the history of the Barbaric Archipelago in mind. She wasn't quite sure how to answer. Astrid could tell him the whole story of how one, single dragon ruined her family's name, but Hiccup probably already knew that. She decided to keep It simple. 

"I hate them." 

"Why?" Did he seriously have to ask? She was sure he heard about the Flightmare incident. He must've. The story traveled fast across the whole Archipelago, unfortunately. 

"They are heartless monsters. They killed hundreds of us." She answered instead. That was what she was taught – that was what she _thought_. Hiccup turned around and looked at her with a determined face. 

"And we've killed _thousands_ of them." She was about to interfere, but he didn't let her. "And we still do. Even when the raids stopped and they don't mean any harm to us, we still lock them up in cages, torture them, kill them for our entertainment. Let me ask you something Astrid. How many Vikings died, killed by a dragon, in the last two years?" 

That shut her up. Astrid, as painful as it was, had to admit that Hiccup was kind of right. She haven't heard about a single death caused by a dragon, since the raids stopped, at least on her island. From what she heard, the dragons actually seemed to be quite nervous around the Vikings, not really running away but also not attacking or acting aggressively unless provoked. She walked up to the cage where the Deadly Nadder was and looked through the opening in the gate. The dragon shrieked and backed away in fear at the mere sight of her. Somehow it didn't feel satisfying… 

"They're starved and beaten up here every single day." She looked at Hiccup. 

"How do you know?" Astrid asked quietly. It wasn't a secret that the dragons in the cages weren't exactly treated nicely, but even Astrid herself didn't really know how far that went. She was never interested in finding out. 

"Look closer." He gestured the cage with his head, his voice equally soft. So Astrid looked. It was hard to see, as not much of the light got to the inside of the cage, but she saw what he meant. The whole Nadder's blue-yellow body was covered in bruises and scratches. There were ribs visible on the dragon's stomach. The Nadder's jaw was shackled just like the rest of its body, so that the dragon was only able to drink and eat small things, breathing fire was out of question. Astrid looked into the dragon's eyes. She didn't see anger or blood thirst, but sadness and fear. No, she couldn't think like this. Dragons were mindless killing machines, not something that had any capability to feel. 

"If dragons are all 'good' and 'innocent', then why did they attack us for such a long time?" she asked, but it didn't have the same fire. 

"What if the dragons didn't want to attack, but had no other choice?" Hiccup asked suddenly. That caught Astrid from guard. 

"What do you mean by that?" she was skeptical about this whole theory. She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. 

"What if there was something that made them do it? Since two years ago, no one from your village lost their life to the dragons, as if they suddenly stopped being so hostile. Don't you think that's kind of weird?" She'd admit it. It _was_ weird. Astrid needed to stop thinking like this. She was raised to hate dragons. Then again – so was Hiccup. 

"Why are you even defending them? Maybe you have forgotten about the war already, but I certainly haven't. Figure out which side you're on." she snapped. Astrid had had enough of this conversation. Hiccup was _wrong_. Dragons were the enemy, nothing more, nothing less. Hiccup frowned. 

"I'm just trying to show you there might be a second side to all of this." He defended with slightly raised voice. 

" You don't have to show me _anything_ because I know the truth. Stop pushing me into believing, that there's something more behind all of this." She turned on her heel, not looking once at the Nadder's cage, and started walking toward the arena's exit. 

" Astrid, wait!" Hiccup called over for her. She turned to him with a scowl on her face. "I'm sorry. I just thought that there could be an explanation to all this. That maybe we could live without the fear that we won't live to see another day." he smiled sadly and sighed. "But you're right. It was stupid." Astrid's face softened a bit, but she was still far from being calm. A mix of emotions kept flooding her. She just couldn't forget the sad look the dragon was giving her. 

_You have to stop thinking like this, Astrid._

"I'm going home." She replied and exited the arena, not waiting for her fiancé. 

* * *

Astrid was seriously questioning herself right now. She looked at the bundle in her hands. What the Hel was wrong with her?! The blonde teen looked around and not seeing anyone except sleeping guards, she quickly slipped inside the dragon arena. 

Astrid didn't sleep well. All she could think about, was what Hiccup told her the day before. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was the Nadder chained, starved and beaten up. She didn't understand why. The whole night was spent trashing and turning. Astrid almost felt relief when first rays of sunshine peeked from her window. The blonde teen tried to take her mind off of it by training with her axe, but it didn't help much. She haven't seen Hiccup all day, as his father needed him for something. Astrid wasn't sure she even wanted to see him at the moment. He was the one that suggested all those ridiculous theories and, by that, planted the seed of doubt. A completely unnecessary and silly one, but a seed of doubt nonetheless. Maybe it was because Hiccup's arguments actually made _some_ sense, as ridiculous as it sounded. She spent the day with Ruff and Tuff instead. Astrid missed her friend, as they haven't been spending much time together lately. Besides, the twins' bickering was a good enough distraction. 

"I see you and your fiancé got all cozy together." Ruffnut teased endlessly. Astrid only rolled her eyes at that. The three of them were sitting on the field by the docks. Fortunately, it was still warm enough to do that. 

"He's okay, I guess." She shrugged as she absently sharpened her axe with a stone. Ruff sent her a knowing grin and nudged her friend in the ribs. 

"From what _I_ saw, he _looked_ more than okay." 

"Ruff!" Astrid punched her laughing friend in the arm, while trying to stop the smallest of blushes from creeping out. Really, she didn't need Ruffnut teasing her. 

"What are we talking about?" Tuff stopped clearing his mace and looked at the two girls clueless. The female twin rolled her eyes. 

"Nothing mutton-head." Ruffnut snapped at her brother. 

"Hey! Who are you calling mutton-head, Butt-elf?" her brother shot back and yet another fight broke between the two of them. Astrid sighed, annoyed. She saw Hiccup from the corner of her eye. He was talking with Stoick the Vast. He seemed annoyed with his father and was gesturing violently with his hands. It looked like a rabbit trying to argue with a giant bear. Astrid found the situation quite amusing. But then she remembered the last conversation she had with the eighteen-year old. 

What if – what if he _was_ right? What if all of this loss was pointless in the end? As much as she didn't want to admit it, Hiccup had a point when he noticed that the dragons changed after the raids stopped. Maybe there was more to them than a killing machine she was taught to see in a dragon. The image of the scared Nadder kept flashing behind her eyes. The whole idea was eating her up from inside. She had to know. Just to be sure. She had to go and see that the dragons were just the way she was taught, that they were incapable of feelings other than hate. She needed to get rid of that shadow of doubt, because, honestly, she didn't need that. She didn't understand where all this came from. Maybe because it had been two years since she last saw an aggressive dragon that was ready to bite her hand off? Or maybe her mind was desperately clinging to some scraps of hope that she could finally live without the fear that her house and family would be burnt down by a Monstrous Nightmare while she was asleep. 

So here she was, sneaking into the Dragon Training arena in the middle of the night. Astrid crept closer and found the Nadder's cage. She lit up a torch and put it in a holder near the gate to see better. She unwrapped her little bundle to take out a piece of chicken. Astrid had to be very careful to sneak out the small piece of meat. If anyone had noticed her carrying out a chicken leg out of the Great Hall, it would have looked suspicious. She wasn't even sure if the Nadder would want it. Chickens were never stolen during the raids. The blonde took out the meat and went to the opening. She whistled to get the dragon's attention. 

The Nadder held up her head but then it shrieked and backed away more. The girl panicked, not wanting for the guards to hear or notice her. Astrid was confused at first, but then she realized the dragon must've noticed the axe on her back. It was confirmed when the teenager reached for the axe and the dragon hissed. She carefully unstrapped the weapon and laid it down on the floor and tried again. This time the dragon seemed a bit calmer and didn't back away when she got closer to the hole in the gate. 

"Here." She whispered grudgingly and threw the chicken through the bars. The dragon sniffed it suspiciously at first but, after a few seconds, it chucked the meat in quite happily, glad for any food at all. The creature looked at her and came a bit closer. Astrid was about to reach for her axe on the arena's floor, when she saw the Nadder's pupils dilate. It looked… harmless and happy. She haven't even realized when she held one of her hands behind the bars. No, no, _no_. It wasn't supposed to happen. _That_ was not the plan, at all. The Nadder was supposed to be vicious and cruel, not… like that. The dragon squawked and nuzzled her hand gently. Astrid chocked a disbelieving laugh despite herself. She was touching a dragon! And it haven't bitten her hand off yet! How crazy did that sound? The laughter slowly died on her lips. She looked at the dragon, as if hypnotized, and came to the conclusion it was quite beautiful, even with all the wounds. She always somewhat admired Deadly Nadders. They were proud and beautiful, yet dangerous. 

And that was when she heard a familiar whistling noise. It was the unmistakable sound of a Night Fury. If the Dragon Master was coming, then being in the arena was very dangerous. She had to get out of there, quickly. Astrid took back her hand and was about to reach for her axe when she was blown away by an explosion to her left. She felt ringing in her ears and it took a moment for her to adjust. The girl turned around and saw the Night Fury with its rider. He hadn't changed much, except that now he wore a black mask, covering his whole face. Even his eyes were covered by the black material. There was another thing she haven't noticed before. Instead of his lower left leg, the Dragon Master had a prosthetic leg. That would explain the weirdly shaped footprints a year ago. The Rider titled his head to the side. He probably wasn't expecting a young girl in the dragon arena that late at night. 

The Dragon Master hopped of the dragon and took some kind of a tube from his left leg. The Night Fury started growling, but the man calmed it down with a single hand-gesture. Another dragon, with a Rider atop, landed in the ring. It was nothing like she had ever seen before. The dragon looked like it was made from metal. It had a long, slender neck and a long ledge on the top of its snout. The dragon's long body was covered in a metallic-like scales. Its Rider was dressed in an armor somewhat similar to the one the Dragon Master was wearing, but it had a cape instead of a mask and Astrid was pretty sure that this one was a girl. The second Rider also had sharp-edged metal pieces on 'her' arms and shoulders. Even 'her' skirt was made of those. The Riders looked at each other and nodded. 

"You should leave." said the second Rider. It definitely was a girl –her voice made her further believe that. Astrid shakily got up. She couldn't find her axe. 

"Why should I?" she wanted to sound strong, but it came out a bit shaky. The girl clenched her fists as she swayed a bit to the sides. The explosion was quite strong. 

"Because we saw you with that dragon." The female Rider gestured the Nadder's cage. Astrid swallowed hard as her stomach tightened. "We want to help them just like you did." Astrid felt herself wince at the words. That was not _exactly_ what she was going for. The Rider continued. "They will die here and you know it. So you will leave and let us do our job." she finished sternly, yet with a gentler undertone. Astrid felt her legs move on their own accord. She slowly exited the arena, careful not to be seen by the panicking guards. Astrid looked behind her back. The Dragon Master was studying her intently. It was making her uncomfortable. 

The blonde teen decided she wasn't ready to come back to the village yet. It was probably in panic, as yet another attack happened. She went to the forest. Not too far, just for the village to disappear from her view. The teenager sat on a tree's stump and exhaled slowly and shakily, running a hand over her face. What had just happened? Maybe it was just a dream? But the sound of explosions in the direction of the arena and another ones coming from the village said otherwise. She could've stopped them somehow. Or at least try. But Astrid knew it wouldn't make a difference, if not make the matters worse. And there was another problem. Astrid remembered how she snapped at Hiccup to choose at which side he was on, but after the whole interaction with the Nadder, the girl wasn't sure about that anymore. It didn't seem as simple as it was before. 

After about a half an hour, when all the racket stopped, she decided it was time for her to go home. Astrid quietly climbed her house and slipped into her room through the window. She sighed in relief. It was good to see her room, something unchangeable and stable. The blonde was ready to undress herself and go to bed to get at least some sleep, when she heard a squawk. She quickly turned around and almost fainted. On her windowsill, sat a green Terrible Terror with her axe in its mouth. It dropped it on the parapet, licked its eye and flew away before she had the chance to do anything. Astrid picked up her axe and looked through the window but, unfortunately, the only thing she saw was dark sky. As she sat on her bed, she couldn't stop thinking about what just happened. She hid her head in her hands. 

What had she done? 

**A/N:**

 **I hope you liked the chapter and that the action isn't going too fast. Second big change of the original plot. It's almost funny how one thing, in that case Gobber not being able to convince Stoick to let Hiccup into Dragon Training, can change things so much. But it does.**

 **DrabbitDragonLord** **: For some reason, the end of one of the sentences and the beginning of another in my message had been cut. It's supposed to be: […]** **I've encountered on this** _ **site**_ _ **. :) My writing**_ **being compared to that […]" :D**

 **Sir Baron** **: I can't tell you** _ **that**_ **;) Fear not, everything will be explained in due time. And don't worry, my bad luck** _ **is**_ **funny, at least in my opinion. It's better to laugh things off, rather than let them bring you down. Plus, I'm a dictionary definition of an accident prone. Seriously, me injuring myself by accident, is something completely normal :D**

 **Guest 1** **: I'm really happy to hear that. :D Hiccup is a** _ **very**_ **complicated and complex character. He can fight, yes, but, as you said, it's a necessity for him to survive (not that I'm saying he's the Dragon Master ;) ). In my diffident opinion, Astrid would still win against Hiccup in actual combat (she trained her whole life) but Hiccup is definitely able to hold his own (and he** _ **is**_ **able to do that in the Race to The Edge as well). I'm not planning on showing him as some kind of a 'hero' that can do everything. He's not going to be glorified in any way. Hiccup's not perfect, nobody is. He has his own demons to fight and has insecurities that he is struggling with.**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	5. The Doubts

**Hello there peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **I know I'm late and I'm really sorry for that. I hoped it never came to that, but life is the way it is. Please, hear me out. I had been doing things (that I** _ **had**_ **to do) from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every single day of the week, and yesterday, when the tiredness from the whole week caught up to me, I was beyond exhausted. Hardly ever did I have time to do something to relax, not to mention writing. I tried to edit some of the chapter after I came home yesterday but I knew that, in the state that I was, I'd miss a lot of mistakes and you deserve better than that. As soon as I woke up, I started editing it, so that I'd be as little late as possible. Know that I feel extremely guilty and stressed out about the whole thing and that I'm really,** _ **really**_ **sorry.**

 **Please forgive me my slip up and enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 5**

 **The one with doubts.**

Astrid was torn. 

She didn't know what to believe anymore. They've always put the Dragon Raiders in the enemy category because they were traitors – dragon lovers. It seemed as clear as a day. But after what she experienced two days ago with the Nadder, she wasn't so sure anymore. Astrid saw the dragons in a bit different light. She hadn't meant to touch that dragon and she wasn't supposed to feel any remorse at the Nadder's obvious torment. And yet, here she was. Somehow, the girl cold not forget about that so easily, shrug it off as if it didn't happen. Whenever she closed her eyes, she was seeing the Nadder's yellow eyes, shining in the dark cage. The gratitude in its eyes, if she could even call it gratitude, was something that haunted Astrid. Because it wasn't supposed to be grateful, it wasn't supposed to _feel_. That was not mentioned in any of the Book of Dragons, she wasn't taught about it. How was it possible for the dragons to change so much in such a short period of time? Was it a ploy? A lucky hap? An exception that proves the rule? Or maybe she was just looking into things too much. She would have to know more and she knew who could possibly give her that kind of information. Hiccup had to know something about it, she was sure of that. Especially after the conversation in the arena. 

Astrid decided to go and find her betrothed today. The uneasiness, that settled in her stomach, had not disappeared in the recent days. If anything, it got worse. Nothing helped, she couldn't focus on simple tasks anymore, as it was eating her up from inside and, quite frankly, messing with her head a bit. Touching the dragon felt so _wrong_ , and yet, it seemed _right_ in some weird, unexplainable way as well. Like it was supposed to happen. She haven't seen Hiccup since the talk in the arena, except for a few quick glances now and then. When she asked Gobber about it, he said that Hiccup's father needed him for something related to the wedding. The blonde teen was quite busy herself and maybe it was something good, especially in the light of the recent events. She could at least pretend that everything was more or less fine. Normal. Stable. Her mother insisted she would have sewing and cooking lessons, as those were things Astrid wasn't exactly best at. Gunnar once said that her cooking would someday kill someone. Solveig gave her a day off, though, as she saw her daughter was getting irritated and nothing good would have come from that. Maybe Astrid would be able to catch Hiccup today. She really needed that. 

When she reached the forge, the girl was disappointed to see only Gobber and Vern talking casually, with Hiccup nowhere in sight. The Berkian blacksmith noticed her coming and waved to her with his hook. 

"Good Morning, lass!" he said cheerfully. Astrid couldn't help but smile. She really enjoyed the man's company. And whenever Hiccup and his mentor were together, working on something in forge, she could see the deep bond between them. Her fiancé mentioned that Gobber was a family to him in everything but blood and he saw him as a fatherly figure. Sometimes even more than Stoick, as the latter one hardly ever paid any attention to his son. Fortunately for her, she had a very good relationship with her family. Her parents loved each other, that was something that wasn't often seen in Viking marriages. She wished that if she ever _had_ to marry, she would have just as much luck. Maybe if she and Hiccup would get to know each other better, they could become _something_? Things were a bit messed up right now, though. She didn't know what to think of him anymore. On one side, the situation in the arena was unsettling. _Very_ unsettling. If it meant what she thought it did, then things would get a whole lot more complicated and Astrid didn't know how she felt about it. He'd been here for a week and a half only, and yet, he had already made an impact on her life and what she thought was so certain before. On the other hand, the kind, funny and awkward Hiccup she got to know a bit, was someone she could see as a friend. She didn't like that uncertainty that came with her fiancé. He was unpredictable and Astrid wasn't used to that. And with him disappearing all the time, she was left with only Fishlegs and Snotlout. 

Snotlout was definitely the opposite of Hiccup and the exact role model for a Viking – pig-headed, arrogant and with big muscles, not bigger than his ego though. **[1]** The black-haired teen quickly forgot about his failed attempt to flirt with Astrid and tried again a few times, always with the similar result. Punch in the face or other body part. Astrid was aware that it wasn't exactly what her father had in mind when he said to be nice to the guests, but the girl couldn't stop herself. It wasn't violence… just communication. A message that she wasn't interested. She had to give it to him – he was persistent. Of course Astrid wasn't the only victim of his horrible pick-up lines. Ruffnut and basically every other girl in the village, in a similar age, were harassed by him too. Even Oili seemed to be quite annoyed with the Viking teen. Fishlegs, on the other hand, was very quiet. Which was a complete opposite to the first few days on Bjargey when the teen could hardly ever shut up. The bigger Berkian was only interested in the dragon arena, occasionally he disappeared in the forest, sometimes alongside Hiccup. 

"Do you need your axe sharpened again, eh?" Gobber asked with a not so subtle wink and a knowing smile. Astrid felt her face heating up a bit. She was sure her forge visits weren't _that_ noticeable. 

"I, eh, was actually wondering if you knew where Hiccup is?" she asked hesitantly. Maybe it was a trick of light, but Astrid was pretty sure Gobber wiggled his eyebrows at her. Oh, Gods _above_ … 

"Unfortunately I haven't seen him since yesterday. He was walking around all grumpy, doing some business with his father, and when he passed the forge in the evening, he was saying he haven't slept well. He almost fell asleep in the forge and burnt himself in the process. So I sent him home after a while to get some rest. He might be with his father, though. Stoick was looking for him earlier." The veteran Viking warrior replied with a shrug. Astrid nodded and bid the two Vikings goodbye. 

She decided she would go to the Great Hall. It was afternoon already and she missed _dagmál_ **[2]** today. The blonde Viking entered the Great Hall and spotted her friends at their usual table. The twins weren't alone, though, as Snotlout, Fishlegs, Oili and, surprisingly, her brother were sitting there too. Gunnar was probably only sitting there to be close to Oili. Her brother was, like her, a determined warrior, yet whenever he was in a close range to his crush , he changed into a lovesick teenager. She snorted with laughter seeing her, normally proud and tough, brother, staring at the sixteen-year old girl with a love-struck face. _She_ would _never_ act like that. Astrid took a plate with a chicken leg, along with a mug of ale, and sat beside Ruff. Fishlegs was talking with Tuffnut about dragons' fire. The male twin seemed interested in what the other teen was talking about for once. 

"Finally! Someone normal. Well, more normal than those people." Ruff grumbled, pointing to the rest of the Vikings sitting at the table. Astrid just shook her head at her friend. From the corner of her eye, she saw Fishlegs staring at her. The girl raised her eyebrow at him. That caused the bigger boy to quickly redirect his gaze to the table. Astrid took a bite of the chicken. 

"Hey, babe. I see you missed me." Snotlout piped in, flexing his muscles at her. Astrid slowed down her chewing a bit and sent the black-haired teen a glare. That immediately shut him up, as he coughed awkwardly into his hand. 

"Where were you all day anyway?" Ruff continued ignoring Snoutlout's unsuccessful attempt to impress Astrid. 

"Mum insisted she learned how to cook and sew." It was Gunnar who replied, as his sister's mouth was full. Both her brother and the twins chuckled slightly, knowing Astrid's abilities, or rather lack of them, in that department. She just rolled her eyes at that. Snotlout snorted, making everyone look at him. 

"You won't have to worry about that. Hiccup can easily be the housewife. I mean he's useless elsewhere and he knows how to do those things so…" he shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was something completely normal to say. Astrid scowled. Hiccup was his family and he deserved at least a little respect. Snotlout was probably one of the main bullies that tormented the auburn-haired teen when he was younger. At the thought of Hiccup being beaten up daily by his own cousin, her stomach churned. For some, unexplainable, reason it bothered her more than it should. She was about to say something, when she was surpassed by Oili. 

"His skills make him far more useful to the tribe than your pathetic bragging does. And I thought that family would support one another, not jump at each other's throats." She snapped harshly, her normally oversweet tone gone. Astrid looked surprised at the girl. She hardly knew Hiccup, yet she defended him. Why? As far as Astrid knew, Oili didn't really care about anyone. The blonde teen saw her brother making a barely noticeable scowl. Maybe he was jealous of how Oili defended Hiccup of all people. The sixteen-year old hardly ever paid any attention to Gunnar which hurt him a lot. Snotlout crossed his arms. 

"How can you have any respect to someone who can't even lift a weapon? He's eighteen and if something happened, he would be the first one to go down. Or rather run away." He sniggered at the last part. A knife landed on the table, barely missing his hand. 

"You're insulting my fiancé, which means you're also insulting me." Astrid growled at the dark-haired teen. She got up and walked out of the Great Hall, leaving the stunned teenagers at the table. Oili looked after her surprised, but then her lips quirked slightly upwards. The female twin left the Great Hall a few seconds later. 

"What was all this about?" she heard Ruffnut shouting, as she ran after her friend. Astrid sighed. With all those things that had been happening lately, she didn't need Ruff's interrogations. 

"What do you mean?" she asked when her friend finally caught up. 

"I mean, you're usually violent, but you almost took his hand off!" Somehow, Ruff instead of being shocked, seemed to be excited about the whole incident. Astrid stopped abruptly, which caused Ruffnut to walk straight into her. The taller blonde grunted and started massaging her forehead. Why _did_ she react that way? Sure, Astrid could be violent at times, but there was no reason for her to act the way she did. The girl blamed it on the sleepless nights and the inner turmoil that had been going inside her head recently. It seemed like a good enough reason. 

"I-I don't know. I was just angry, I guess." She answered absently, after what felt like hours. She didn't dare to look at her friend. Ruff beamed suddenly. 

"Oh Gods! You _like_ him! The Great Astrid Hofferson has a crush!" she started laughing hysterically. Astrid went a very deep shade of red, either from anger or embarrassment. The villagers were staring at her and her laughing friend. She dragged Ruffnut behind one of the many wooden houses in the village. 

"I don't _like_ him!" she whispered-shouted harshly. 

"You totally do. I mean, I never saw you interested in guys, yet you've been spending with him a _lot_ of time. You defended him, you never do that. _And_ I saw you staring." Ruff listed like they were the most obvious things in the world. 

"I do _not_ like him, Ruffnut. It's all in your head." Astrid said strongly with a roll of her eyes and went back to the village, leaving her friend in the alley. Astrid shook her head and snorted. The thought alone was ridiculous. They knew each other for such a short period of time. There was no way for her to start developing any feelings for him. He was merely a friend at this point, though she wasn't really sure she could call him that. Especially with what was going on. She had no desire for a romance, not right now. Why would have Ruffnut even thought of something like that? 

"I don't like him." She whispered harshly under her breath. 

* * *

Astrid looked _everywhere_ for Hiccup. 

She asked Stoick the Vast if he had any idea where his son might be, but the giant Viking didn't know. He told her that Hiccup was with him earlier, but they got into a small argument. Of course her future father-in-law didn't tell her what they argued about, but he told her that after it, Hiccup stormed away and he hadn't seen him after that. The whole argument happened a few hours ago. Hiccup was always able to disappear unnoticed, especially if she was looking for him specifically. And she _really_ needed to talk to him. 

The seventeen-year old decided it would be best if she went to the forest and practiced her axe-throwing a bit. It almost always made her calmer and she felt she needed that. After Hiccup replaced the handle and rebalanced it, she was able to throw it further. It also lessened the backache, that she sometimes got when she trained too hard. Astrid realized she actually haven't thanked him for that. The teen promised herself that she would, after all this dragon stuff had been sorted out with Hiccup. 

She trained for a bit, but her mind wasn't in it. The blonde strapped her axe on her back and started walking in no particular direction. Astrid kept thinking about all those things that happened two days ago. Was she a traitor, now that she sneaked to the Dragon Arena, secretly fed a dragon and let the Dragon Raiders go? Probably. But she didn't mean for that to happen… 

She tripped. 

Astrid got up to find the reason why she fell. A tree's root. She then looked around. It was a part of the forest, she wasn't really familiar with – the teen must've gone pretty far. Well, that was just _great_. 

Astrid saw the edge of the forest and decided that maybe she would be able to figure out where she was if she looked around there. It was so quiet there, so different from the chaos in the village. Only singing birds and the leaves rustling in the wind could be heard. It was so peaceful. Astrid reached the end of the tree line and she saw a familiar mop of auburn hair. 

"Hiccup?" she asked surprised. She didn't expect him to be here, this far away from the village. Perhaps he got lost too? He looked so calm, though. Hiccup was sitting cross- legged at the edge of a cliff, a few feet away from her. He appeared to be doing something in his old, brown book. She often saw him doodling in it or doing some plans for something in the forge. His hair was softly fluttering in the wind. Hiccup had his brow furrowed and he looked very focused on what he was doing. The auburn- haired teen seemed to hadn't heard her. Astrid slowly came closer and sat beside him. He turned to her and smiled a little. 

"Hey, haven't seen you this far in the forest." He said, closing his sketchbook. Astrid tried to nonchalantly see what was inside, but she found herself unable to. 

"I took a walk." The blonde teen replied. She wasn't going to admit that she got lost." I didn't expect to find you here, either." 

"I like the forest. It makes me calm. I found this place a few days ago." Hiccup closed his eyes and exhaled. He then opened his eyes and smiled at Astrid. "You have to admit – the view is magnificent." 

Astrid looked ahead. The view _was_ magnificent. She could see her whole village from there, actually. They were pretty high, so she could see all of the buildings and the sea further away. Astrid was happy to recognize the small house that was her home. She really liked her village. It wasn't the biggest one out there, but it was her home, the place where she grew up. The seventeen-year old was quite sad to leave that place. Maybe Berk would be as nice? There were so many memories related to that small piece of rock located in the middle of The Sullen Sea. Astrid could see the Dragon Training Arena further away from the village. That reminded her of the whole reason why she was looking for Hiccup in the first place. She turned to the Viking boy. He had his eyes closed again and a carefree smile on his face. 

"Hiccup, I need to talk to you." Her fiancé opened his eyes again and smiled at Astrid, as if he already knew what she wanted to talk about. Maybe he did. 

"Sure. What do yo-" he was interrupted by a loud noise coming from behind them. It sounded like a big, disoriented animal, trying to get out of the woods. Both Astrid and Hiccup stood up and turned around. A young, purplish dragon appeared at the end of the tree-line. Astrid has never seen a dragon quite like that one. It looked a bit like a Deadly Nadder, but it didn't have any spines on its tail. Instead, its tail was longer. The dragon had Zippleback-like flaps all over its body, from its head, down to the end of the reptile's tail. The creature seemed to have an injured leg, as it was heavily limping and some kind of a liquid, she guessed blood, was coming from its right leg. Astrid unstrapped her axe, ready to defend herself and Hiccup, who apparently didn't have any sort of weapon on him. Her fiancé held his hand to stop her, though. 

"Astrid, don't. He's injured." He looked at the dragon, deep in thought. Astrid was seriously contemplating if the auburn-haired teen was mentally stable. The dragon was just staring, somewhat curiously, slightly titling its head. 

"Have you completely lost your mind?! It's a dragon!" she snapped. Astrid wasn't going to let herself be attacked by this supposedly 'innocent and injured' dragon. She gripped her axe tighter, ready to attack. The winged creature growled slightly at that. Astrid's muscles tightened, the familiar rush of adrenaline pumping in her blood. It had been so long since she found herself in a situation like this. 

"I can see that Astrid." He deadpanned. He seemed so _calm_ , as if there wasn't a sneering dragon _right_ there, beside him. Hiccup turned around and looked the blonde teen dead in the eye with the most determined face she's ever seen. "Now… Put. That. Axe. Down." He drawled harshly. Astrid didn't know what compelled her, but she found herself putting her trusted weapon slowly on the soft grass. Hiccup looked like he knew what he was doing. As weird, as it sounded. 

The seventeen-year old watched as her betrothed slowly crept towards the injured dragon, his movements almost like a dragon himself. The creature, startled, hissed and started backing away slowly. Hiccup reached for a knife he had, apparently, hidden in his belt and threw it on the grass few feet away from the dragon. The blonde teen listened to Hiccup trying to soothe the dragon, whispering softly. It seemed to work as the purple reptile was a bit calmer. Then the auburn-haired teen held out his hand to the dragon. The creature sniffed the hand curiously, with its eyes dilated into big black poodles. Astrid was watching the whole thing mesmerized. She couldn't believe what happened next. Hiccup closed his eyes with his hand still held out in front of him. The dragon, at first hesitant, pressed its snout into the young man's palm. After few seconds, the reptile withdrew its head and squawked happily. Hiccup smiled and exhaled. He turned around to Astrid. She had her eyes wide and her mouth agape. 

"H-how?" she stuttered, shocked. 

"Trust." He answered simply. She looked at the dragon fawning to Hiccup, purring quietly. So that was his secret? She thought about it, but it was still surreal. It was pretty obvious that he knew more about dragons' and the raids than he should've. He was almost _too_ obvious. As if he _wanted_ her to catch on. 

"W-What even is that? I have never seen a dragon like this." Astrid asked, staring at the dragon suspiciously. Yes, it wasn't the most important thing to ask right now, but Astrid had a bit of a trouble with getting her head around all this. Proving her assumptions right was not something she was counting for, if she were to be honest. The axe on the grass caught her eye. Hiccup started examining the dragon's injured leg. He had this concentrated look, she had only seen on him when he was working on something in the forge. The auburn-haired teen was very gentle and delicate, careful not to startle the dragon. 

"It's a Scuttleclaw. Sharp class. I'm surprised to see this fella' here too. I've never seen them that far away." Far away from what, she wanted to ask. Actually, she had a lot of unanswered questions and, minute by minute, the number of those was increasing. "Can you pass me my satchel?" he asked pointing to some bag on the grass near the edge of the cliff. Astrid snapped from her thoughts and went to give the leather bag to Hiccup. She was a bit anxious to come near the dragon, but it seemed it haven't even noticed her. 

"How can you be so calm? Aren't you scared that I'm going to get back to the village and rat you out, say that you're a traitor?" she saw Hiccup's mouth quirking slightly upwards. He took some things from his cloth and started to clean the injury. 

"First of all – I seriously doubt they would believe you." He had a point there. Hiccup started to bandage the dragon's leg with some kind of a material. He continued. "Second of all – don't you think that sneaking into the Dragon Arena in the middle of the night and feeding one of the dragons isn't as treacherous?" When he saw her panicked face he added with a smug smile. "Little friend of mine told me." 

"You're one of _them_ , then." She stated. It still seemed like something straight out of fantasy. Hiccup rolled his eyes. 

"Stop saying _them,_ " he made air-quotation marks with his fingers "like we're some kind of murderers. We're just helping the dragons, rescuing them." 

"You weren't really subtle about it when you were with me." Astrid said as she observed him, It was a miracle his secret stayed a _secret_ that long. Hiccup, keeping his gaze at the dragon, smirked. 

"Who told you I was trying to be subtle?" Astrid opened her mouth but closed it almost immediately, not knowing how to answer. So he planned that? How? And more importantly – _why_? Why her? Why now? She decided to have a different approach. 

"That's why you pretend to be weak? So that your 'little secret' won't be found out by others?" It kind of made sense, she supposed. 

"We all have a part to play. It's safer for me to act like the runt they think I am. They don't even suspect me as anything more than a village's mistake, a hiccup." He explained in a somewhat bitter tone. So Berk didn't know? Or it did but kept it a secret. She didn't know. Either way, Astrid guessed that being called a village's mistake takes a toll on a person. She cringed, it sounded awful. Hiccup looked at her. 

"Come here." He stood up and staffed the rest of the medical supplies back into his satchel. Astrid's eyes widened. 

"Say what?" Hiccup sighed. 

"Come here. There's nothing to be afraid of Astrid." The blonde girl snorted slightly at the word 'afraid'. She was Astrid ' _Fearless'_ Hofferson and she was never afraid. But maybe the close presence of the purple dragon made her a _bit_ uncomfortable. Especially when it was so… friendly. Casting a quick look towards her axe, she slowly approached the auburn-haired teen and the Scuttleclaw. Any signs of hostility or anger were long gone and the dragon was happily nuzzling Hiccup's hand, as to say 'thank you' for the help. Her fiancé reached and grabbed one of her hands. Astrid felt her heart racing a bit faster when he held her hand, but she brushed it off. Probably all the adrenaline still in her blood. She forced herself not to wrench her hand out of his grasp. 

"Wait, what are you doing? She asked, when she realized that Hiccup was leading her hand towards the dragon. 

"Just- just trust me, okay? Nothing's gonna happen." He reassured, once more, seeing the hesitant look on Astrid's face. The girl let Hiccup lead her to the dragon. The Scuttleclaw sniffed at her hand curiously and, cautiously, pressed its head to it. Hiccup took his hand away from hers and smiled at the seventeen-year old. Astrid looked at her betrothed and returned the smile hesitantly. It was the same exhilarating feeling she felt when the Nadder in the ring nuzzled her hand two days ago. She grazed the creature's scaly head absently, lost in her thoughts. 

"So, what kind of a dragon are you riding?" she was curious about Hiccup's dragon. She would've never thought that someone like him could even be one of the Riders. Her betrothed seemed to be full of surprises, she haven't decided yet if it was something good or not. 

"That would spoil the fun, wouldn't it?" he replied instead. "Do you still hate dragons?" Hiccup asked, his voice turning a bit more serious. Astrid furrowed her brow. 

"It's a lot to take in… I-I don't know if I still _hate_ them, I can't just forget everything, forgive, as if nothing ever happened. Nothing that big can be. You showed me there's more to it. I need to know what is going on, because right now I'm completely lost." She said looking up at him. He smiled sadly at the received answer but it was clear that he understood. The purple dragon squawked happily and pushed his head under Hiccup's hand, for the boy to pet him. The auburn-haired teen laughed softly. It was weird seeing Hiccup like that, because he looked more natural with that dragon, than he ever did in the village. It felt right, somehow. But the question remained: 

What had she gotten herself into? 

**A/N:**

 **[1] I want to make it clear. I'm not making Snotlout a villain, enemy or anything of that sort. It's Astrid's point of view. This is how** _ **she**_ **perceives him and that is her opinion of him** _ **now**_ **. That doesn't mean that this opinion won't ever change. Snotlout, on the other side, has no reason (yet) to see Hiccup differently. His cousin is someone who can't fight and that means he wouldn't be able to protect his village, people, house, family or even** _ **himself**_ **. I wouldn't put Snotlout in the category of one of the main characters of the story, but his motives and his behavior will be also explained at some point. Snotlout, just as everyone, has his own insecurities and** _ **that's**_ **important.**

 **[2]** _ **dagmál**_ **also called** **'day-meal' was what we call nowadays a breakfast. Vikings had only two meals per day. The earlier mentioned dagmál in the morning and** _ **náttmál**_ **(aka night-meal) in the evenings.**

 **Behold – the hand thing! I hope you liked the chapter. Also… Writing with a broken thumb? Not something I'd recommend.**

 **Guest** **: You don't even know how glad I am to hear that! :D Thank you very much and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Sir Baron** **: I'm sorry your review went up so late, but I completely forgot that I have to 'approve' of it first. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :D**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	6. The Teeth

**Hello there peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **And now – let the show begin!**

 **CHAPTER 6**

 **The one with(out) teeth**

Astrid was tired. 

She had barely any sleep at night. The blonde couldn't believe what had happened. It was more like a dream or some made-up story, rather than real life. When Astrid first heard of the arranged marriage, she expected Hiccup to come and be his normal, clumsy self. The one she remembered from eleven years ago anyway. She'd admit it – she wasn't exactly looking forward to that, but at least she could've shown him his place and somehow go with it. But now things got very complicated. Her fiancé turned out to be one of the Dragon Riders, making him very high on the 'traitor list' in the Barbaric Archipelago. Unfortunately, she wasn't much better after she foolishly went to feed that Nadder. After what happened yesterday in the woods and three days ago in the ring, she didn't think the dragons were mindless killing machines anymore. Sure, she still needed some time to get used to the new concept, understand it more, but Astrid wasn't sure if she'd be able to kill a dragon without a good reason anymore. 

Astrid decided there was no use in staying in bed, as she wouldn't get anymore sleep. She just kept tossing and turning the whole night. As soon as the first rays of sun peeked through her window, the blonde teen jumped out of her bed and grabbed her axe. She decided to go and train some in the woods. When she was at the door and was about to exit the house, her father appeared. That was a bit unusual, since normally he was already in the village, breaking off another fight or helping out with something. He didn't look very happy with his daughter, his blue eyes were colder than usual. Astrid had a bad feeling about it. 

"Astrid, may I ask you to sit for a moment?" He requested, his voice lacking any emotions. The middle-aged Viking Chief gestured the table in the middle of the room. Astrid slowly reached the closest chair and sat down, putting her axe on the wooden piece of furniture. She didn't know what her father needed her for. Did he found out about the Nadder accident? Had someone spotted her in the ring? Or yesterday with Hiccup in the woods? She fidgeted nervously. The girl crossed and then, almost immediately, uncrossed her legs under the table. 

"Where were you when the attack happened three days ago?" Egil asked sternly, as he interweaved his scarred and work-worn hands on the table. Astrid's icy blue eyes went wide for a second. Of course! Her father or mother had probably gone to her room to wake her up when the attack started. How could she have been so foolish?! All this time she had been thinking about the Nadder and she completely forgot that she was absent during the _whole_ attack. Of course they would notice. She was surprised that her father hadn't asked her about it sooner.

"I-I couldn't sleep so I went to the woods for a walk. I didn't hear when they attacked and when I returned it was already over." She desperately tried to sound as natural as she could. She knew it didn't sound believable. How could she not hear or notice the explosions? The blonde teen had never been good at lying – her family highly valued the truth, so it wasn't often when she had to lie. The guilt had already made its Bjargey's Chief furrowed his brow. 

"Were you with Hiccup? Because I've seen you two together pretty often lately and I'm glad you are getting along, but you know the law Astrid. The bride has to stay a-" 

"Dad, no!" Astrid quickly interrupted her father's train of thoughts. She was pretty sure her face couldn't be redder than it was right then. "It's nothing like that! We're barely friends. I was alone in the woods that night." The seventeen- year old wanted to disappear. She had never had such an embarrassing talk with her father. At least his suspicions were far from the truth. Egil visibly relaxed and sighed with relief. Astrid's fingers involuntarily traveled to the ragged leather by the head of her axe. 

"Good. That's good, but, from now on, I want you to come home before it's dark and not leave the house after nightfall without my permission. Is that clear?" Astrid looked at her father with surprise. 

"What? Why?" 

"Because I said so Astrid. I prefer you'd be home before it's dark." Egil made a move to get up, but his daughter slammed her hand on the table before she could stop herself. Astrid felt her blood starting to boil as she stared at Egil Hofferson. 

"You can't ground me! I'm not a child anymore!" Astrid snapped. She was never one to snap at her family member, but grounding her was ridiculous. She was old enough to be married off, but still young enough to be grounded? She didn't do anything wrong. Well, except making friends with the enemy, but that was something her father didn't necessarily need to know. 

"You're living under this roof for another week and you _will_ listen to me." His stern, yet calm, voice was worse than his shouting. At least that was what Astrid always thought. It meant there was no arguing with what Egil said. Feeling defeated, she grabbed her double-headed axe and stormed out. The blonde teen concluded that a hard training session in the forest would help her cool off. It worked, because after a couple of hours of training, Astrid felt a bit better. A bit like her normal self. She was still frustrated with her father's decision, but it wasn't as bad as it was before. The blonde teen was walking by the forge when she heard laughter coming from the small building. It sounded like Hiccup's, so she decided to visit the blacksmith's shop and see what was going on. Maybe her betrothed's presence would cheer her up a bit? 

She entered the forge and noticed that Hiccup wasn't alone. By his side, talking to him, was Fishlegs. Hiccup seemed very focused on what he was doing, while the blond teen was babbling about something in an excited manner. She couldn't see what her fiancé was working on, as the object was very small, though some of the light reflected in it. When her betrothed saw Astrid entering the forge, he quickly took the mysterious thing and put it in one of his pockets. The auburn-haired teen smiled at the newcomer. His hand traveled to cover a sheet of paper laying on the messy table. 

"Hi Astrid. Hi... W-what brings _you_ here?" His nervousness was a bit amusing, especially when he stuttered like that. Astrid was interested about what he'd been doing, though. Hiccup quickly crammed the crinkled piece of paper into the pocket as well and grabbed the nearest sword from a pile nearby. As if that would make her forget about the little secret he'd been working on a second ago. Yeah… _no_. 

"What were you doing?" Astrid asked while raising an eyebrow. Hiccup shrugged 'innocently', suddenly very focused on everything else but her. The girl turned to the bigger teen. Fishlegs was avoiding her gaze, fiddling with his fingers nervously. Astrid crossed her arms over her chest, sending the Berkian boy a glare. The blond boy shot Hiccup a quick look, before blurting out. 

"Okay, fine. Hiccup was making the wedding rings for your ceremony." he stammered out quickly, earning an elbow to the stomach from the taller teen. Hiccup shot his friend an incredulous stare. Astrid, though, stared wide eyed at her fiancé, ignoring the bigger teen's yelps from the pain. 

"You're making our ceremonial rings?" she asked surprised. It was the village blacksmith that should do the rings for the wedding. Why would Hiccup take that job upon himself? He already had a lot on his plate with all the wedding preparations and… other things. Hiccup had a slight scowl on his face, clearly not happy that his friend blurted out the whole thing. A tint of pink adored his cheeks as he avoided her gaze. 

"Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea." His face softened as he finally dared to look at her. "I mean, those will be ours. I wanted them to be special." He finished quietly with a slight shrug. Astrid felt her face heating up a bit. It was so thoughtful of him. She found herself tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear. As soon as she realized what she had done, the girl fixed her eyes on the ground, so that her bangs hid most of her face. What the Hel was wrong with her? Acting like a blushing, giggling mess of a girl? She needed to stop that and soon. The girl straightened her back and stared at Hiccup with more confidence. 

"Anyway," Hiccup said while his hand traveled to the back of his neck. Astrid noticed that it was a sign of his nervousness or discomfort. "what brings you here?" 

"Oh, uhm I just thought I could drop by. I didn't have anything else to do." The blonde teen responded, a bit more sure of herself this time. Hiccup nodded curtly at that. Fishlegs was holding his rather bigger stomach with one of his hands, though it was clear that the hit was not really that strong. Astrid looked around the messy forge. Something caught her eye. On the main table, the girl saw the book that the bigger teen liked to carry around all the time. Berk's Book of Dragons, or at least a copy of it. The book was covered with old, brown leather with a strike-class symbol on the front. It was slightly battered, a sign that it was used frequently. The seventeen-year old reached for it, but Fishlegs beat her to it, hugging the object close to his chest. 

"Sorry, but you can't see that." He squeaked. Astrid narrowed her eyes at him. 

"And why would that be?" It was just a book. And if it was the tribe's Book of Dragons, then it surely would have the same content as the Bjargey's one, right? Nothing to hide there. She looked at the bigger teen holding the book tightly in his hands. Unless, it wasn't Berk's Book of Dragons… 

"You know, Fishlegs, I've been wondering. Why are you even here? You're not Hiccup's family, nor his closest friend. So what are you doing on Bjargey?" She knew she hit the nail right on the head when the blond Berkian widened his green eyes. Hiccup sent her a weird look, but she ignored it and focused on the other Berkian instead. 

"I-I was sent to examine the dragons species around here. As you can see, I'm the keeper of The Book of Dragons and-" 

"She knows." Hiccup's nasal voice cut him off. Fishlegs' eyes got even wider and panic settled on his face. He looked at Berk's heir as if he completely lost his marbles. 

"You told her?! You know the rules Hiccup!" he tried to whisper, but failed miserably. The auburn-haired teen just rolled his eyes. 

"Yes Fishlegs. I _know_ the rules. I was there when they were made." That got Astrid interested. Just how high up in the hierarchy of The Dragon Riders was Hiccup? "We tell only people we trust. I _trust_ Astrid. Besides, we're getting married soon. She would've found out sooner or later." Fishlegs relaxed slightly as it came to him that Astrid wasn't going to leave and rat them out. He observed the girl form the corner of his eye. Astrid put her hands on her hips. 

"So what really is in this book?" she gestured the supposed Dragon Manual. Hiccup shrugged, not looking at her directly. 

"It's a Book of Dragons. Just modified. You'll see in time." Her fiancé reassured her while heating up the forge. He finally stopped staring at the sword in his hands. 

"Since when do you know?" Fishlegs asked quietly, looking at Astrid. The girl looked at Hiccup, but seeing no signs of him not wanting Fishlegs to know, she answered the question. 

"Since yesterday. We found a dragon in the woods. Or should I say, the dragon found us." That got the bigger teen interested. Astrid was wondering how much the two teens were actually acting and how much was really them. It couldn't all be a trick. 

"What kind of a dragon?" he opened the book, ready to search for it. Astrid tried to remember the dragon's name, but found herself unable to. It started with 's', didn't it? All the seventeen-year old knew, was that the dragon had never been seen in these regions before. At least according to Hiccup. She looked at her fiancé, for him to answer the question. 

"It was a Scuttleclaw. His leg was injured, but I cleaned and bandaged the wound. Must've got his leg into one of the traps up north. He should be fine in a few days." Astrid saw Fishlegs furrowing his brow, as he quickly rummaged through the pages in the book. 

"But those dragons shouldn't be that far away." Fishlegs contemplated, scratching his chin. Hiccup took one of the hammers nearby and started pounding the hot sword. 

"I know, _CLANG_ I was _CLANG_ surprised too." he said between hits. " Maybe they're _CLANG_ migrating _. CLANG_ Like the Fireworms." 

"It could be, I guess." And with that, Fishlegs traveled to a world of his won, browsing through his mighty book. Astrid felt a bit like an outsider in all this. She didn't have a clue about what they were talking about. In Bjargey's Book of Dragons there was nothing about dragons called Scuttleclaw nor Fireworm. The blonde teen didn't know that the dragons migrated. Maybe that was what had happened – that was why there were no dragon raids. She looked through the window and noticed that it was getting pretty late. It was getting closer to náttmál's time and Astrid remembered she and Ruff were going to meet in the Great Hall to eat. She waited for Hiccup to stop hitting the sword, because she doubted he would hear her. 

"I need to go. I'm meeting with Ruff." Hiccup put down the hammer with a confused face. He titled his head to the side. It reminded her a bit of the dragon yesterday. 

"Who's Ruff?" Astrid completely forgot that Hiccup hadn't really met her friends. Fishlegs had eaten lunch with them a few times, but her betrothed seemed to disappear all the time. Though she wasn't so sure that him meeting Ruffnut was a good idea. Especially if her friend insisted on babbling how attractive Hiccup was, or worse – that Astrid liked him in _that_ way. She shuddered at that thought. How awkward would _that_ be? 

"She's my friend. You may have seen her – tall, blonde, has a twin brother." Hiccup's face clearly said he hadn't noticed anyone like that. Then Astrid remembered something and slammed her hand on her face. How could she have forgotten this? "She was the one walking with us on the first day." Her fiancé came down with the realization, now remembering the blonde girl that escorted them to the guest house. 

"Oh, okay. I remember." Astrid was about to leave, when Hiccup caught her wrist gently. She turned around, but the girl hadn't realized how close Hiccup came and almost slammed her head into his chest. They both took a step back awkwardly, Hiccup's hand leaving her wrist immediately. 

" I wanted to ask you something." When Astrid gestured for him to continue, he lowered his voice barely above a whisper. "Meet me tomorrow, early in the morning, in the place where you tried to pin me down. I want to show you something." All Astrid could do was nod wordlessly. Something about the way he was looking at her with that determined face, was making it impossible for her to refuse. 

"Good." He smiled crookedly at her. "Then see you tomorrow." Astrid smiled slightly herself and bid the two Vikings goodbye, though she wasn't sure Fishlegs even heard her as he was greatly engrossed in the book. 

She had a really nice afternoon, spent with Ruffnut. It was nice to have a break from all the things that had been happening lately. They ate at the Great Hall with her twin brother and then the two friends went to the woods to spar a bit. Astrid like to train with her friend, because Ruff never held back and gave everything she got. By the time she got home, the seventeen-year old was filled with positive energy. Her father was surprised by her good mood, as he was expecting the teenage girl to still be angry for what happened in the morning. Astrid decided that there was no point in arguing with her father. Especially when they had so little time left together. 

Astrid woke up very early the next day. Even earlier than usual. She really wanted to know what Hiccup wanted to show her. Probably something to do with dragons. All this was so _wrong_ , yet so new and exciting. Up until now, her life was based on a routine, every day was spent in a similar way. And then Hiccup waltzed into her life and changed that in such a short period of time. For good or bad, only time would tell. She wasn't going to lie, she was curious. Astrid knew that she was playing with fire with that one, but, somehow, she couldn't really stop herself. She needed, _wanted_ , to know more. She hoped that, step by step, thing would become clearer. 

Astrid quickly dressed herself in her usual armor. She twisted her hair into a braid to the side, leaving some of the bangs loose. She put her kransen on and looked at herself in her dusted and slightly cracked mirror. She rarely ever used it. Astrid never really cared for her appearance. The most important thing for her was training to be the best. She didn't really know why she decided to use it now. Casting one last look, she grabbed her axe and quietly left the house. Astrid wasn't sure if Hiccup would be there so early, but she didn't have anything else to do, so she went to the place where they were supposed to meet. The village was fairly empty, only several villagers were awake at that hour. She waved to them and returned their greetings with a smile. 

The blonde teen was surprised to see Hiccup already waiting for her, leaning on the tree that she tried to pin him to almost two weeks ago. So much has changed since then. Hiccup smiled at her. 

"Hey. I didn't know you'd be that early." He said, stretching his arms in front of him. Astrid let out a slight chuckle. 

"I'm an early riser." She saw her fiancé fighting a yawn. "Unlike you." She added. 

"I'm a night person." He shrugged. " I prefer to do things at night." He gestured for her to follow him. Astrid hesitated for a second only, before going after him. 

* * *

"So, where exactly are we going?" Astrid asked. Hiccup seemed to know the forest very well, which surprised her. It wasn't his first time on Bjargey in eleven years for sure. He could easily walk through it, knowing where the river flew and which way he could or couldn't go. They'd been walking for about half an hour and it looked like they were nearing the end of the forest. She vaguely remembered this place to be full of caves and cliffs. Where was he leading her? Astrid cursed herself. She was so blinded by the prospect of having her questions finally answered, that she hadn't even thought that it could all be a ploy. This was a Dragon Rider, leading her to some forgotten part of the island. She was a warrior and she was known not to trust anyone easily. So what happened? She only had her axe and a small dagger hidden in her left boot, but if there would be an attack that involved dragons, she would be, let's say it, screwed. 

"You'll see in a second. Trust me." Her betrothed responded after a beat. He must've heard the discomfort in her voice. _Trust me_. Two, simple words, yet they carried so much weight at the same time. Who was he, for her to trust him? She had no reason to do that, and yet, she found herself following him even further into the forest. She didn't understand it, but she did actually trust him, at least to same extent. She had no idea where it came from. Or why. Something about this man made her do it. Was it his tone? Attitude? Or maybe Astrid just wanted to _know_. To finally know. Curiosity killed the cat, her mother always told her when she was little. The statement seemed more true now, than it ever had in the past. 

They reached the end of the thick forest and started climbing a steep side of a cliff, full of uninhabited caves. Astrid realized that the clearing where she and Hiccup found the Scuttleclaw, was on a completely other side of the island. Hiccup suddenly took a sharp turn to the left into one of the bigger caves. He reached for his satchel and what he pulled out, was a flint and a piece of steel that was shaped like a torch. He also took out a jar with some substance **[1]** and covered the head of the torch with it. Hiccup took the flint and lit up the steel so it was possible to see in the dark cave. They ventured a bit deeper. Astrid looked around and saw something she really didn't expect. 

There was a door. In the cave. 

"Hold this." She snapped from her thoughts, only to see Hiccup holding the torch thing out to her. She took it hesitantly. Hiccup approached the door and started fiddling with it. He pushed some levers and moved some other complicated-looking mechanisms. Finally, he took out some kind of a metal pendant from under his shirt. The thing, that was hanging from the cord, looked a bit like a coin. Hiccup took the pendant and put the coin-shaped thing into one of the holes. That finally enabled them to open the heavy door. Hiccup yanked it in one swift move and they could continue their walk. The heavy, metal door closed itself after they entered a tunnel. Astrid craned her neck to look around, her warrior instincts kicking in finally. 

"Hiccup, where are we?" She could barely see. The only source of light was the torch she was holding. Hiccup took it back and started moving forward. 

"It's our underground network of tunnels and safety bunkers. It's placed under the whole island." Astrid's eyes widened and she stopped walking. 

"The whole island?!" she asked shocked. The blonde couldn't grasp what Hiccup was saying. There were underground tunnels beneath the _whole_ island? And no one knew about this? Why was he telling her all this? Her of all people? If her father knew about this… Astrid forced herself to move. She quickly caught up to her betrothed. Getting lost was the last thing she wanted to happen. 

"Yes. There are similar constructions under all the villages in the Archipelago. It's our way to travel through the islands without endangering ourselves." Hiccup swiftly moved through the underground corridor. It was dug out with great precision. It would take a lot of time for humans to do that. Unless it was hollowed by a dragon. That actually seemed quite probable, knowing the circumstances. There were many side tunnels, but Hiccup clearly knew where he was going. They climbed a few flight of stairs, sometimes down, sometimes up. If she were here alone, she'd be lost in a few seconds. All the tunnels were very intricate and she could hardly see anything. Astrid shivered. Not only was the place creepy, but also cold. The slight dampness that could be felt and seen didn't really help, either. 

"We'll be out soon. Don't worry." Her fiancé reassured her. They walked for another freezing ten minutes. The pair reached a door, very similar to the first one. Hiccup looked at her. 

"I need to ask you to leave your weapons here." Astrid snapped her head towards her betrothed. "Please." His voice sounded sincere. Astrid didn't know what exactly made her do it, but she did as she was told. The girl unstrapped her axe and laid it on the ground. She found the auburn-haired teen looking at her expectantly, though. He nodded towards her boot. The girl didn't know how he knew that she had a knife there, but upon his intense gaze, she reached for it. Completely weaponless, she hoped that it wasn't some kind of a trap. And that those emerald green eyes had not fooled her. 

Hiccup did the same routine, he'd done before. Then, the eighteen-year old yanked the door open and Astrid was momentarily blinded by the light coming from outside. When her vision turned normal, she found herself in a cove. The place was quite beautiful. The cove was softly lighten up, the sun shyly peeking from the trees on top of the rock walls. She heard a slam, indicating that Hiccup closed the door behind her. Astrid looked around but, apart from some bushes and single trees, she didn't notice anything remotely similar to a dragon of any sort. 

"So I wanted to show you my friend. As you probably already realized, he's not exactly human." So he _was_ going to show her his dragon. All this was so surreal. " I don't want you to freak out. He's friendly." Hiccup added seeing that the blonde was a bit unsure. Then the taller teen made a strange noise, something between a roar and a whistle. She heard some bushes rustling few feet away from her. 

And then she saw it. 

A black dragon walked into the clearing. Its sleek body was muscled and long. The dragon had a long tail, but there was something weird about it. One of its tailfins looked as if it was made out of black material. The creature had two front paws and two rear ones. On its back, there were wide, bat-like wings. It had a big head with long flaps that were probably the creatures ears. Its eyes were acid green and seemed to stare right through her soul. Panic gripped her heart when she realized what dragon that was. It was thee Night Fury. And if Hiccup was its Rider… Astrid, shocked, took a few steps back. 

"You're The Dragon Master." She realized shakily. Hiccup winced at the name. 

" I don't like that title, it makes me sound like I'm some sort of a demon." He went towards the dragon. The Night Fury visibly relaxed when it saw its Rider. The dragon's eyes dilated and it bounced happily towards Hiccup. It gave the auburn-haired Viking a big, sloppy lick on the face. Hiccup chuckled and scratched the Night Fury on the head which resulted in the dragon purring. Astrid couldn't believe her eyes. 

"Yeah. I missed you too bud." Astrid stood there, watching the happy couple. She felt as if she had been fixed to the floor. Then dragon looked at her and, seeing the intruder, its eyes turned back into thin slits. It let out a slight growl. 

"It was you… A year ago in the woods. You were destroying the dragon traps." The girl heard her voice slightly cracking. Oh, how she regretted not having her axe. She screwed up. Big time. 

"Whoa, whoa bud. Relax. She's a friend." It only partly calmed the dragon. Hiccup looked at Astrid with confusion. "What do you mean?" 

"I-I saw you, about a year ago. On Bjargey." She said, eyeing the black dragon cautiously. She didn't know what to think of all this. Being one of the Riders was one thing, being the Dragon Master – that was a lot to take in. Hiccup seemed to be such a calm, peaceful and easy-going person. At least that was what she thought. She just couldn't see him flying on the Night Fury, attacking the villages, destroying the defenses… Hiccup's mouth was shaped in an 'o' as he came to the realization. 

"It was you? I knew I heard something." He mumbled to himself and ran a hand over his face. "I thought it was some kind of an animal in the bushes." He cleared his throat as his hand went to scratch his neck. The black dragon let out another growl and Hiccup seemed to have remembered of the reptile's presence. He straightened his back and coughed awkwardly. 

"Astrid, this is Toothless." 

"I'm pretty sure it isn't toothless" the blonde answered through clenched teeth. Hiccup rolled his eyes at that. He came closer to Astrid and took her hand gently. At first, she tried to free it from his grasp, but after Hiccup sent her a pleading look, she let him lead her closer to the Night Fury. The dragon seemed to have somewhat calmed himself down and was now curiously watching them. Her betrothed released her hand. 

"Do what you did yesterday with the Scuttleclaw. He won't harm you, I promise." Astrid contemplated about that for a few seconds. She really had no other choice. So she closed her eyes and held out her hand. At first nothing happened, but then she felt warm scales pressed under her hand. The seventeen-year old slowly opened her eyes. 'Toothless' had his head in her palm. Every time she touched a dragon, she felt that exhilarating feeling, as if it was the first time all over again. Astrid carefully caressed her hand over the Night Fury's scales. The dragon warbled softly and Astrid couldn't help but smile. She wondered if everyone felt the same way when they touch a dragon for the first time. Not by accident during a life-death situation, but the way she did. 

Hiccup disappeared for a second and when he came back, he was holding something big and made of leather. The tall teen put the construction on the dragon. It then came to her that it was a saddle. He wasn't expecting she would ride the dragon, was he? Hiccup twisted his leather boot and took it off. Astrid's eyes widened when she saw a metal prosthetic instead of his lower left leg. She quickly averted her eyes, as not to look like she was staring. Her fiancé swiftly swung one leg over the saddle and positioned himself comfortably on the creature's back. 

"M'lady." He looked at her expectantly, holding out his hand. 

"No, no, no. I'm _not_ riding a dragon." She _was_ curious of how it'd be to fly a dragon, but she was also a bit scared, or rather nervous. So many things could go wrong in the air. She liked having control, and on a dragon, in the air, she was forced to trust the winged creature. 

"Don't tell me that mighty Astrid Hofferson is scared." He teased, knowing he already won. Astrid frowned and came closer. She swatted his hand away and awkwardly climbed the Night Fury. 

"Hold on tight. Toothless hadn't flown for a while and he's full of energy." And before she could say another word, Toothless took off, beating his wings furiously. 

**A/N:**

 **[1] Nightmare saliva**

 **I hope you enjoyed it. I forgot to do it the last time, so I'll do it now. The story had breached the 100 follower mark quite recently and that's just… amazing! As Hiccup would say: "I don't have… the words." I want to thank you all, the ones who follow the story, the reviewers, all the people that read it and like it so far. It really means a lot to me. I feel really touched and I hope that you'll like the rest of it as well! All of it made me even more motivated to write. Thank you once again! You guys are amazing!**

 **Guest :** **I know that life comes first.** **:) I just would like to be consistent with my schedule. I'm really glad that you enjoy it so much and I'm really happy that the last update was a good start to your weekend. Your review made me very happy as well.**

 **DragonNut** **: Thank you for the review and I'm glad to hear that you like the story so far.** **Unfortunately, my lips are sealed. Can't tell much as not to spoil the story. Don't worry, everything will be explained in due time. ;) Also, love your name. :D**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	7. The Inner Battles

**Hello there peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **And now that it has been said – enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 7**

 **The one with inner battles**

Astrid was amazed. 

The view was absolutely breathtaking. Toothless took off in a rush, flapping furiously his bat-like wings. Fortunately, after he drained some of his energy, the dragon leveled out. The first few seconds of the flight were pretty scary, though. She had to hold onto Hiccup for dear life. Astrid was pretty sure her nails dig through his shirt quite painfully but, thankfully, the taller teen didn't say anything about it. Once the Night Fury calmed down, she could loosen up her death grip a little bit and enjoy the view. There certainly was something to enjoy. 

Astrid could see her whole home island. The village, that seemed quite big when she was younger, now, in the air, looked relatively small. The people, that were slowly waking up and getting to work, were no more than tiny dots, spread all over the village. She always thought that her island was quite beautiful and, now, seeing it from this point of view, she couldn't possibly imagine it looking more magnificent. The clouds, that were softly swimming in the sky, were white with orange and pink tinting at the edges. The blonde was always somewhat curious about the clouds, sometimes even getting lost in her thoughts while watching them. Before she could stop herself, she reached for the closest one and run her hand through it. Astrid expected to feel something soft, or something like a feather. Instead, all she felt was water. So clouds were made of water? Who would've thought. She laughed. Really, openly laughed. She didn't remember when was the last time she laughed like that. The girl held up both of her hands in the air. 

"I hear you're enjoying yourself." Astrid could only see Hiccup's back but she was pretty sure he was smiling. "I love being up here. I just feel so…" 

"Free." Astrid finished knowingly. She saw Hiccup nodding. He let out a chuckle. Free. That was how she felt in that moment. All the worries and all the problems stayed down on the ground. Here, high up in the air, she was free. Astrid didn't know what made her do what she did next. She threw her arms around her betrothed's middle and put her head on his shoulder. At first, Hiccup went completely stiff, as if not used to that kind of contact at all. Astrid almost pulled away, suddenly aware of what she had done, but then she felt her betrothed's muscles relax slightly. She decided it was fine. A friendly gesture, nothing more. 

"Astrid, that's not the only thing I wanted to show you." Hiccup said after a while. Astrid noticed that he sounded a bit troubled. The girl pulled away slightly, though she was still holding onto him. 

"What do you want to show me? Some other dragons?" She was curious as to what Hiccup wanted her to see. The auburn-haired teen shook his head slightly. 

"Remember the talk in the arena before the attack a few days ago?" When she hummed in agreement, he continued. "I want to show you why the raids stopped." Astrid didn't expect that. She meant to ask Hiccup about it actually, but never found the right moment. They were quiet for the rest of the flight to wherever Hiccup was taking her, both lost in their own thoughts. Astrid had some time to grasp what was actually happening. Hiccup was the _Dragon Master_. _Hiccup_ , of all people, was the Night Fury Rider. And a man she was getting married to in a week. That was certainly something she wasn't expecting to happen. How someone's life can change in such a short period of time? She almost, _almost_ , wished to go back to her life a month ago, when everything was based on a routine. When she was certain of what was right and wrong, even though it may not have been completely correct. But she also saw that as an opportunity. To see and to understand. To stop running around blindly, knowing only a part of something much bigger. 

Before her, she spotted an island. It was nothing like Bjargey or any other island in the Archipelago she had ever visited. It was full of rocks and looked completely deserted. There was a giant mountain, or maybe a volcano, in the middle of it. Toothless seemed to have started descending, so she figured the creepy looking island was their destination. When they were closer, she saw there were some dragons on the island. Actually, more than she assumed at first. Probably its natural inhabitants. Astrid hugged Hiccup tighter when she felt her stomach rise to her throat. Her system didn't react well to the Night Fury descending quite quickly. When they finally touched the ground, Astrid was pretty sure she was going to throw up. 

Hiccup dismounted the dragon first and helped out Astrid. This time she didn't swat his hand away, as she was a bit dizzy. When the ground beneath her finally stopped spinning, the girl looked around. The place really looked deserted. All she could see miles away were rocks, rocks and, surprisingly, even more rocks. A chilling wind made her shiver slightly. It was definitely colder than on Bjargey. She saw Hiccup fiddling with his prosthetic leg. Suddenly, Toothless nudged her on the side. He seemed more friendly towards her so that was something. She looked at the dragon and couldn't help but let out a laugh when she saw the great and undefeated Night Fury trying to smile. It looked almost like a human's smile, except that the dragon didn't have any teeth. Wait…. 

"He's toothless!" she exclaimed. She found this extremely amusing for some weird reason. Hiccup, alarmed, snapped his head towards the blonde. He relaxed when he saw she wasn't in danger, though. When her fiancé saw what she was talking about, he chuckled. 

"Don't mind him. He's just a big softie." The dragon seemed to have snorted at his Rider. Astrid would've never imagined for a dragon to express his emotions as well as a human could, if not better than some Vikings. From Toothless's face and reactions, she could clearly see what the dragon was feeling. 

"Come Astrid. There's something I need you to see." Astrid followed Hiccup. Carefully, she tried not to slip on the steep rocks. Astrid furrowed her brow when she saw something that looked like a shield. A normal, Viking shield. The crest was unknown, but it was definitely a Viking one. A pledge of some unsuccessful voyage probably. 

"So, where exactly are we?" she asked. She had never heard of an island like this and she talked with Trader Johan several times before. She was sure he would've mentioned a place like that one. Seriously, that man loved telling stories about any weird or unusual places he came across. That was something he would've talked hours about. 

"We're on the Dragon Island, commonly known as The Dragon's Nest. This place is about two hours flight away from Bjargey. At least on a Night Fury." Hiccup responded, as he jumped over yet another sharp rock. Astrid stopped. The Dragon's _Nest_? The place her ancestors were looking for since they first sailed here? She saw some dragons few feet away. They seemed to be playing something similar to a tag. They hadn't even noticed their presence and if they did, then they were ignoring them completely. 

"Astrid?" She snapped from her thoughts when she heard Hiccup calling her name. She quickly tried to reach Hiccup. When the blonde teen caught up to him, Hiccup gestured for her to see something. 

"A rock?" she asked skeptically. It was a bit lighter in color than the rest of rocks surrounding it. 

"Look closer." Hiccup gestured the weird thing laying on the ground once again. Astrid came closer and examined it. It had a different texture and with the addition of the weird color, she came to the conclusion. 

"It's a bone." She looked at her betrothed and saw him nodding. Astrid turned back to the bone. It was enormous. Single bone was the size of her whole body. 

"It's a tooth actually." Astrid's eyes widened as she glanced over the object. As she looked around her surroundings, she saw some other bones in the distance. Did they all once belonged to one creature? 

"What would be that big?" she asked Hiccup and he gestured to sit beside her. Astrid slowly came closer and sat on one of the rocks, previously making sure it wasn't a bone as well. 

"In the arena I mentioned that maybe dragons didn't willingly raid the villages. And that was the truth. Do you see that mountain?" He gestured the highest pile of rocks that towered noticebly over the rest. The mountain she saw from the air. Astrid nodded. "There's a volcano inside. And it was the Red Death's lair." 

Astrid scrunched up her nose in confusion. "The Red Death?" 

"The former Queen of this nest. She was able to hypnotize the dragons to bring food for her, as she herself was too big to leave the mountain. Thus the dragon raids. The dragons _had_ to raid the villages to feed the Queen. They didn't destroy them on purpose." Astrid stared at the former nest. 

"So it was like a giant beehive. She was the queen and they were the workers." She came with the conclusion. Hiccup smiled weakly and nodded. Astrid furrowed her brow. "It's the Red Death's tooth, isn't it? It was that enormous." 

"Yeah. It was the second biggest dragon species known to us." Wait, second? She couldn't possibly imagine a dragon as big as The Red Death, not to say a one even bigger than that. But she had an even more important question nagging her. 

"What happened?" A dragon that big didn't just disappear. Hiccup shifted slightly. 

"We – me and Toothless - discovered the Nest on one of the earlier flights, about four years ago. We flew there once and swore to never come back. We nearly got eaten by the Queen." Hiccup grimaced at the memory. "Yet, the thought that the end of the dragon raids was within reach didn't let me sleep." He was silent for a while. Astrid noted that the next part wasn't easy for him to tell. 

"Approximately a year later, me and Toothless found another Dragon Nest or rather a Dragon Sanctuary." He swallowed. "We found out there were more people that believed that things could change. That we don't have to kill each other. We started to work on a plan to eliminate the Red Death, which would result in freeing the dragons from her control and stopping the raids. I flew to different islands, mostly outside the Archipelago, and tried showing people the true nature of dragons." Hiccup shrugged. "Some listened, some didn't, but we gathered some allies and half a year later we were ready to face the Queen." 

Astrid couldn't believe all this. When she pictured different scenarios of why the dragon raids ended – that was not one of them. People only saw the worst in the Dragon Riders and, honestly, she couldn't really blame them; so many defense systems in the villages had been destroyed. But, now, she could see that there was more to it and that it wasn't all black and white. Maybe if the tribes knew the truth, things would've looked differently. 

"We lured her out of the Nest. Other Dragon Riders distracted the Queen, while me and Toothless went to strike. It ended with the Red Death chasing me between the sea stacks." Astrid looked towards the said pillars. She saw that most of them were broken or crushed. Probably the Red Death's body slammed into them all those years ago. 

"Me and Toothless flew towards the stormy clouds to take the dark sky to our advantage. It worked as the Queen couldn't see us. Toothless shot a few plasma blasts and we started to fly towards the ground. The Red Death followed. Toothless shot one, last fireball into the beast's mouth, which set her on fire. We withdrew at the last moment but neither me, nor Toothless noticed her tail and we slammed right into it. His prosthetic tailfin caught on fire." Astrid cast a glance towards the Night Fury. 

"He's missing one of his tailfins. What happened?" Apparently that was the wrong question to ask, because Hiccup pursed his lips tightly and looked away. 

"He… he was shot down." He answered curtly. Some things started to fall in place, though the number of unanswered questions was still huge. 

"Is that how you lost your leg?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Astrid clasped a hand over it. She knew she had no right to ask a question like this, but she couldn't' stop herself. Unfortunately, Astrid didn't really know how to handle situations delicately. She cringed. "I'm sorry-" 

"No." his answer was short and surprisingly cold. He straightened up and continued in a bit lighter tone. "A dragon caught us just in time. I came out with several burns, though." He reached to roll up his sleeve a bit and showed Astrid a scar from a burn. It appeared to had been quite a burn, as the skin on his arm was slightly deformed and paler than the rest. Astrid knew those – she had a fair share of those herself. She decided that changing the topic would be a good idea. 

" I would've never thought that it was thanks to the Dragon Riders that the raids stopped." Hiccup sent her a small smile. Somehow, it looked a bit forced. 

"Maybe we're not as bad as you think we are." Astrid smiled in return. She heard a squawk somewhere behind her. She and Hiccup stood up to see a Deadly Nadder. But not just any Nadder, it was the one from the ring, Astrid recognized the wounds and bruises on its body. What was it doing out here? She turned around to look Hiccup, at which he smiled tightly. 

"I guess she took a liking in you." Astrid held out her hand carefully. The dragon titled its head to the side and nuzzled her hand. Astrid laughed softly. She couldn't believe it was the same Nadder that she had secretly fed four days ago. She too took a liking in the dragon as well, even though she wouldn't admit it to anyone. Astrid saw from the corner of her eye that Hiccup went a few steps away and sat on one of the rocks. She felt the blue dragon nudging her, demanding Astrid's attention. The blonde gladly petted the dragon, loving the feeling of the Nadder's smooth scales under her fingers. The dragon's injuries healed a bit since she last saw the creature. The Nadder looked much healthier already. She couldn't believe that roughly a week ago, she thought the dragons were nothing more than an enemy. It was unquestionable then. Astrid only now realized how much of the things, she was taught from a small child, were simply wrong. And she would've gone on believing those things if it weren't for Hiccup. He truly was something special. 

Astrid decided to join Hiccup by the rocks. When she came closer, she saw he was looking towards the vast seas ahead. Something wasn't right, though. Hiccup's gaze was devoid of any emotions, his face completely blank. He was clutching his pendant tightly in his hand, shaking barely noticeably. The teen was whispering something, though she couldn't make out what. Astrid's smile vanished, as she grew worried. 

"Hiccup?" she asked carefully not to startle her friend. He didn't react. Not even a single sign he heard her. 

"Hiccup." She repeated louder and firmer. His eyes were ice cold and he pursed his lips tightly. There still was no sign he heard her. She waved her hand in front of his face, but nothing happened. Astrid was getting more worried. She had no idea what was going on. He seemed fine a second ago… Or did he? 

"Hiccup!" she gripped his shoulders and shook him. That finally worked, as Hiccup's expression turned from blank, through panicked and settled on confused. He dropped the pendant and looked around, but his gaze quickly turned back to Astrid. 

"Astrid?" he asked quietly, still not quite himself. Astrid sighed with relief and wiped her forehead with her hand. She sat beside Hiccup, who was looking at the ground. 

"What happened?" she asked softly. The eighteen-year old started rubbing his left leg. 

"I'd rather not talk about it." He answered after a beat. Silence came over them. The only sounds that could be heard, were the dragons playing nearby. Toothless came from behind and pushed his head under Hiccup's hand. Her fiancé smiled sadly and patted the dragon. The Night Fury, sensing his rider's distress, crooned comfortingly. 

"I'm fine bud." He tried to reassure his reptilian friend, but neither Toothless, nor Astrid were buying any of this. 

"Maybe I can help you somehow-" Astrid started, but was interrupted by Hiccup. 

"I don't _need_ help, Astrid. It's honestly none of your business. Just leave it be." Hiccup snapped and got up quickly. At first, Astrid wanted to go after him and demand an explanation, but she thought that Hiccup may want some time alone. Astrid looked at Toothless, who warbled sadly at the retreating form of his Rider. She supposed he decided to leave him to cool off. 

* * *

Hiccup came back after about an hour. He returned with soaked lower pants and a few fishes in his hand. While he was gone, Astrid occupied herself with the blue-yellow Nadder. The dragon really grew on her, she had to admit. It didn't act aggressively at all which was something she still needed to get used to. She felt like she should be angry at her fiancé for leaving her like this, but she couldn't bring herself to that. Hiccup was clearly hurting. She knew he wouldn't leave her there, especially since Toothless was laying a few feet away, awaiting Hiccup's return. She was getting worried, which was quite unusual, because Astrid was never one to care that much about anyone, except her family and close friends. The seventeen-year old thought hard and finally recognized the look that her betrothed had. The veteran warriors zoned off like that sometimes. They said that they were having flashbacks from war or something really bad that happened to them. What had Hiccup experienced to make him like that? He was only eighteen, after all… 

Astrid didn't want to think about it. 

"I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. I wasn't myself." He shot her an apologetic smile. "I brought something to eat. I thought you might be hungry." As if on cue Astrid's stomach growled and the blonde felt her face heating up a bit. Hiccup didn't notice, thankfully. He went to gather some wood which turned out to be quite difficult, as there were hardly any trees on the island. He made a small campfire and lit it with some help from the Nadder. Astrid took a fish from Hiccup and impaled it on the stick. They ate their meal in silence, neither of them knowing how to break the ice. 

"I've been through some horrible stuff Astrid. I've done things I regret and I've seen things I wish I haven't." Hiccup finally said, staring intently at the fire. Astrid turned to him surprised. She didn't expect him to make a confession, especially a one like that. Her assumptions were true though – he had a trauma. Astrid couldn't possibly imagine what could push a human to just shut his whole system down like Hiccup's did. Who knows how long would Hiccup be like that, if she hadn't intervened? And the clear fear that flashed in his eyes for a second… 

"Does it happen often?" she asked. It would be a valuable information. In a week she was going to live with him and she needed to know. Hiccup rolled his shoulder and sighed. 

"Differently. It depends on where I am and what I'm doing." She could see he was embarrassed to admit all that. The girl felt guilty for pressing the matter. "I should probably give you a head start and tell you that the worse of it all happens when I'm on any kind of a boat." Astrid titled her head slightly. 

"Your father mentioned that you were seasick." Hiccup chuckled drily. 

"He doesn't know the half of it. I'm surprised he even noticed." He shook his head. "Seriously, I suggest that you leave me alone when we'll be sailing back to Berk. I'm not the best person to be around on a ship. " He finished sadly. They fell into yet another awkward silence. The tension could be cut by a sword. Astrid wanted to argue with him somehow, but she couldn't find suitable words. She had never been good with them. The Nadder came and nudged her gently. Astrid cut a piece of a fish lying on the side and gave it to the dragon, who chucked it in happily.

"I'm glad you two bonded. I hoped you would." Hiccup sent her a small smile. A real one this time. She responded with a smile of her own, glad for the atmosphere getting a tad bit lighter. 

"Did you choose a name for her yet?" that question caught her off guard. She didn't think of a name, mainly because she didn't want to get herself too attached. As the blonde looked at the Nadder, Astrid guessed it was too late for that. She was about to respond, when she noticed how low the sun was. 

"Hiccup, I think we should be getting back. I have to be back home before nightfall." She said worriedly. Hiccup looked at the sky, after which he put down the fire. He went to wake up Toothless, who was sleeping nearby. The dragon slowly got up, not without sending few death glares towards his rider for cutting his nap short, though. Soon, the two Vikings were saddled and ready to take off. Astrid said her last goodbye to the Nadder and they were back in the air. The blonde teen suddenly remembered something. She hadn't really thought about it before now. How could she have been this foolish? 

"Hiccup, what am I going to say to my dad? Or mom? My parents and the villagers surely noticed that me and you were gone the whole day." Her fiancé just waved his hand, clearly not concerned in the slightest. 

"People are covering for us." He responded simply. Astrid was once again questioning, how much she knew. How many Dragon Riders lived on Bjargey and no one was aware? Hiccup looked at the sky and nudged the Night Fury to fly a bit faster. 

After a while, they reached Bjargey. Hiccup made Toothless land in the forest, not far away from the village. It was dangerous, they could be spotted, but Hiccup insisted he'd be fine and that way Astrid wouldn't be late. The sky was already darkening and it wouldn't be long before it went completely dark. Astrid got off the dragon clumsily, though the auburn-haired teen stayed on. Astrid hesitated a bit, before landing a punch on Hiccup's arm. He looked at her surprised. 

"That's for snapping at me." 

"I said sorry." He answered weakly, still embarrassed about the whole thing. Astrid's face softened. Was she going to do this? She reached for his arm for support. The blonde stood on her tiptoes and quickly pressed her lips to Hiccup's cold cheek. When she pulled back, she saw the taller teen's shocked expression. Astrid looked at the ground, her bangs hiding her face. 

"That's for… everything else." With that she turned around and trotted back home, not facing the Rider and his dragon. By the time the girl reached her house, it was almost pitch dark. She entered her home, ready to be scolded for being absent all day. Instead, she found her family casually sitting by the fire, talking. Her father smiled. 

"Long day?" he asked. Astrid was a bit surprised by Egil's cheerful tone but she shrugged it off. Whatever they said she had been doing all day seemed to be reliable enough. She smiled tiredly. 

"Yeah." _You don't know the half of it._ Astrid yawned. It only now hit her how exhausted she was. She bid her parents and Gunnar goodnight and went to bed. Astrid felt like she just begun another big chapter in her life. 

**A/N:**

 **So that's it for today, I hoped you liked it. Technically speaking, it was the Romantic Flight, just without the kidnapping part. They started from a cove, Hiccup flew with her on Toothless, Astrid could admire her home island from the sky, the flight led to the Red Death's Lair, Astrid made a discovery about the dragon raids and it ended with a punch and kiss on the cheek. I just changed a bit (a lot) in between.**

 **Also, there is till the issue of the weird mobile version of this story. If anyone has any idea of what is going on – please,** _ **please**_ **, tell me.**

 **Guest 1: You're welcome! Hope you enjoyed it. :D**

 **Guest 2: Your favorite one? Wow… that's amazing! :D Thank you! I think that the tunnels are pretty cool too. Plus, it explains how the Riders hadn't been really spotted that much. Even more surprises coming Astrid's way, I guess. ;)**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	8. The Dinner

**Hello peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **And now – enjoy.**

 **CHAPTER 8**

 **The one with a family dinner**

Astrid was embarrassed. 

At first, when she woke up the next day, she felt herself smiling lightly. She stretched her arms while still laying in bed, satisfied in a way. Her dreams, that lately had been more of a nightmare than anything else, were filled with the breath-taking views from the day before. Something as amazing as that would surely stay in her memory for some time. She really hoped it was not the only time she got to see her village from that point of view. Then the blonde remembered what happened _after_. The rocky island, the truth about the dragon raids. Hiccup's confession. And … oh Gods, why did she _kiss_ him?! It would be so awkward between them now. Sure, Astrid could just thank him for the ride and go home, but _no_. She had to go and do something impulsive. She rolled on her side and stared at her reflection in the cracked mirror that was leaned against the wall. Her cheeks seemed flushed slightly, though it may have been the lightning's fault. Maybe Ruffnut was right? How else could she explain the weird fluttering in her stomach whenever Hiccup was around? No, Astrid didn't fall for boys and most certainly she hadn't fallen for Hiccup. She barely knew him – the thought of having any feelings for him was ridiculous. Plus, it was not a time for things like that anyway. 

The seventeen-year old girl shook her thoughts away and got out of the bed. As she dressed herself, the blonde purposely threw her nightgown on the mirror so that it was covered almost completely. She went downstairs and sauntered down for breakfast. The teen got up quite late, at least for her standards. Surprisingly, her father and brother were still home. Usually Egil was doing his chiefly duties by now. Knowing that the last time her father was still home at that hour didn't end well, Astrid felt a bit nervous. She grabbed a loaf of bread from a wicker basket on the table and started eating it in silence. Her brother, who was in the middle of eating an apple, sent her a closed-mouth smile. The girl saw her father organizing some documents, his brow was furrowed in concentration. 

" How was yesterday?" Egil asked her daughter, as he put the papers aside. He walked up to the table and grabbed a fresh loaf himself. Astrid stopped chewing. Hiccup never mentioned what she was supposedly doing all day. She swallowed hard. 

"Yesterday?" The girl mentally kicked herself when she heard how high-pitched her voice came out. _Great job at not looking suspicious, Hofferson,_ she scolded herself. Her father quirked an eyebrow, slightly confused by his daughter's unusual behavior. 

"Yes. Didn't you spend the whole day training with Oili?" Oili? Did that mean she was one of _them_ too? She would have never thought… Okay, actually, it made some sense. The way the younger girl defended Hiccup, as if she knew him pretty well. They actually _knew_ each other. So that meant Hiccup lied to her. Again. She supposed it was to protect their whole dragon riding thing. Once again she wondered how many people were involved in it. People added to the 'traitor' list, were those she would have never accused of such thing. Hiccup had said that everyone had a role to play – and it seemed that they were playing it pretty well. Astrid regained her posture and nodded. 

"Yes. I was training with her the whole day. I was impressed by her skills." Her brother looked at her skeptically. 

"Since when do you like Oili? Last time I heard, you were throwing your axe at one of the trees, yelling she's nothing but a two-faced troll." _Crap._ Astrid fiddled with the piece of bread in her hands. 

"You must've heard me wrong Gunnar, because I like the girl. She has impressive skills with a bow." At least the last part wasn't a lie. The younger girl really had a talent with that, a bit unusual for a Viking, weapon. The blond boy thought for a bit and beamed at his sister. Astrid didn't like the look in his eyes. Not one bit. 

"Since you're such 'good friends' with Oili now" Gunnar said, making a quotation marks in the air. "then you could help me with becoming friends with her." When he finished, Astrid wasn't sure how much of his statement was to make her admit the truth and how much he actually wanted her help with this. Their father laughed and ruffled his son's blond hair. 

"Ye still have time to get her Gunnar, don't ye worry." Astrid frowned and felt some anger surfacing. She hadn't complained to her parents once about the arrangement, at least not verbally, even though she was very much against it. She knew that even though women could be warriors as well, it was still men's world and she had close to nothing to say about her fate. Especially as the Chief's daughter. Her brother, on the other hand, would probably have the privilege of choosing his wife. Egil seemed to have realized what he had said and cleared his throat awkwardly. 

"Astrid, we're having guests at dinner tonight." Said girl looked up confused. At least they left the whole Oili thing alone. 

"Who?" 

"Stoick the Vast, his nephew and, of course, Hiccup." Upon hearing her fiancé's name, her heart fluttered for unknown reason. Then it hit her what her father said. Her future father-in-law was going to come with his family for a dinner. If the meal on the first day was any indication of how tonight was going to look, then she wasn't particularly looking forward to it. Hearing Snotlout's horrible flirting the whole evening wasn't something Astrid was going to enjoy. At least Hiccup would be there. She could busy herself with talking to him. It wouldn't be weird, would it? They were getting married in a week after all. She felt her face heating up slightly at that thought. What was _wrong_ with her? The blonde never blushed, at least till now. She just then noticed that Egil was still talking. 

"… though your mother insisted on cooking something more traditional. What do you think Astrid?" The girl's eyes widened. She saw her brother giving her a smug smile, signaling he noticed that she had zoned off. 

"I, eh…" she stammered, searching for a good answer. "I think I'll have to agree with mom. Traditional food would be better." Astrid finished lamely. Her father didn't seem to notice that something was off. Unlike Gunnar, who was studying her intently. Astrid finished her breakfast and made a move to get up. 

"I'm going training." She announced. 

"Without your axe?" her father raised a confused eyebrow. Her axe! Oh gods, her _axe_. She left it in the tunnel. How was she going to get it now? She would have to go back there and for that she would need Hiccup. 

"I – I left it in the forge. It needed sharpening." Astrid looked around and spotted an old sword hanging on the wall. She walked up to it and took it off. She hadn't used a sword in quite a while. Maybe it'd be a good idea to train some time with it, instead of an axe. She tied the weapon to her belt and went towards the door. Her brother also got up and went to follow Astrid. They both bid their father goodbye and exited the house. She felt Gunnar nudging her side. The seventeen-year old turned to her brother and quirked an eyebrow. 

"What's up with you lately?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Astrid scrunched up her nose in confusion. Had she really been acting differently? 

"What do you mean?" 

" We both know you don't like Oili." Astrid opened her mouth to retort, but Gunnar sent her a look. "And you've gone to the woods quite often recently. You sure are spending a lot of time with that Hiccup." 

"He's my fiancé, Gun. It's better if I get to know him better before the wedding." She tried to shrug sentence was quiet ironic, in her mind. It most probably wasn't the usual 'getting to know each other'. Her brother seemed to think for a second and looked up to his older sister. 

"Are you in love with him, or something?" That made her stop abruptly. The younger Hofferson continued, unfazed. "Because you've been zoning off a lot, while having that face, that you're always joking I have when I'm staring at Oili." 

"I'm definitely not in love, Gunnar." She couldn't bring herself to be angry at him. He was still so young. He didn't even know what love was. Not that she knew much more herself. The girl rolled her eyes and punched her brother in the shoulder playfully. Gunnar smiled and returned the gesture. 

"Want to train together?" he asked hoisting up his own double-headed axe. The siblings liked to train together, both of them gave everything they got. So many afternoons were spent sparring with each other, mastering their techniques. Astrid smiled and nodded. It's been too long since she and her brother spent some quality time together. 

* * *

After a satisfying training with Gunnar, Astrid went to the Great Hall for something really small to eat. She hoped to see Ruffnut and maybe Tuffnut to eat together. She parted with her brother at the edge of the forest, as he was already meeting up with his own friends. When Astrid entered the Great Hall, she couldn't see the twins anywhere. Instead, she found Fishlegs, Oili and, surprisingly, Hiccup, sitting by one of the further placed tables. The blonde quickly grabbed some minor food and a drink and went to the table. She saw them talking, but as she came closer, the whole table quieted. Astrid hesitated, standing with her plate a few feet away from the teens. She felt like she wasn't supposed to be there and that was a feeling she wasn't accustomed to. The girl was about to turn back when Hiccup turned to her and smiled. 

"Astrid. Hi." The other two teens smiled at her warmly. The auburn-haired teen moved to the side, making same room for her. Astrid slowly walked up to the table and sat beside Hiccup. All three of them already finished their meals, their empty plates laid long forgotten in the middle of the table. 

"I'm glad we bumped into each other. I have your axe." Hiccup said and laid the weapon on the table beside her. Seeing her trusted weapon, the girl sighed in relief. 

"Was your dad angry with you yesterday?" Hiccup asked. The question caught her of guard a bit, but she was also relieved he wasn't going to mention the kiss, at least for now. Or maybe it didn't mean anything to him. She didn't know if it meant anything to _her_. Astrid didn't know how she would have explained her weird behavior if he asked– she was surprised by it herself. The girl regained her posture, deciding it was a good time to get some valuable information. 

"No. Supposedly, I spent the whole day training with Oili." At that she looked at the said girl pointedly. Oili tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear and shrugged, not meeting Astrid's eyes. 

"It worked, didn't it?" She replied shortly. Astrid was now sure that the girl was one of the Dragon Riders. Which brought up another thing. 

"Were you the other Rider in the ring five days ago?" Sure, the voice was a bit different, but the Rider in the arena had something covering her mouth which would have modified her voice. Oili looked at her surprised. Then, as she came with the realization of what the blonde was talking about, the younger girl shook her head. 

"No. It wasn't me." Astrid saw that the girl wanted to say something more, but stopped herself before she did. The blonde was getting irritated. She wanted to know what was going on. Since a few days ago, she found out so much about her island and people surrounding her, that she didn't know what, or who, to believe anymore. The whole dragon business messed up with her head a bit and it seemed that the only people who could somehow help her understand what was happening, were sitting in front of her and were very stubborn not to tell anything. Astrid decided that maybe a different approach would somehow help. 

"How many other Riders are living on this island and we don't even know?" she asked, her voice more steady and stern. Astrid focused her eyes on the other girl. She didn't know what to think of the girl anymore, but Oili had been, like her, living on Bjargey her whole life. She would know. She had to. It was Hiccup who answered, though. 

"Astrid, that's not a place at which we should discuss such things." He said quietly, avoiding her gaze. He had a point, as much as she hated to admit it. They were in the Great Hall, the biggest and the busiest place in the whole village, not counting the plaza in the center. Looking around, she saw Vikings eating their meals and chatting with each other. They didn't seem to even notice the teens sitting by one of the further placed tables, but it was best to be careful. If someone would have accidently heard what they were talking about, it would bring unnecessary trouble. She felt stupid for not thinking of it earlier. An idea came to her. 

"Maybe you could explain it all to me after the family dinner. If it isn't too late, of course." She proposed, changing her voice to sound lighter, friendlier. Hiccup looked up at her, confused. 

"What family dinner?" How could he not know? His father surely would've mentioned such a thing. 

"You, your father and Snotlout are coming to us tonight. Didn't Stoick tell you?" Her betrothed's surprised face was an answer in itself. He shook his head. 

"I haven't seen my father since yesterday morning." Astrid quirked her eyebrow. Why hadn't he seen his father for so long? They were sleeping in the same guest house. It was weird for them not to cross each other at least once. Unless, of course, Hiccup slept somewhere else. He mentioned that on Berk he sometimes stayed in the forge overnight. He could have sneaked out of the house. From her own experience, Astrid knew that Hiccup would be able to do that. Silence overcame them. Astrid felt a bit alienated. All her life she had been in control and now she didn't know what to do. The whole situation towered over her and she was _lost_. The girl didn't know where she was standing anymore. Or by who. A small and unimportant conversation broke out, but it seemed forced. Started only for something to fill up the empty space. Astrid felt like it she had intruded something important. 

Soon enough, the teens decided to part their ways. Oili to help her father with something, Fishlegs to who knows where. Hiccup lingered for a bit. 

"When is the dinner?" He asked eventually. He seemed hesitant for some reason. Probably the whole idea wasn't very appealing to him. Astrid opened her mouth, only to realize that she couldn't answer him. She didn't know when was the dinner herself. Curse her pensiveness. 

"I don't know… but I'm sure your father does." 

"Right, right. He probably does." He answered sheepishly. He looked up at her and sent her a small smile. "Thanks. I'll go and do that. See you later then." Astrid found herself avoiding his gaze. 

"Sure. Bye" she gave her curt response. She need to stop that, whatever _that_ was. She needed a break from all the stuff and, as he was the cause of it all, Hiccup. The girl strapped her axe, feeling better with the familiar weight, and went to find the twins. She needed some 'Ruff' time. 

* * *

The dinner time came quickly enough. The Hofferson household was busy with the last preparations. The stew, that Solveig Hofferson was cooking, smelt delicious and the family couldn't wait to sit down to eat. 

Soon enough, they heard a loud knock and Astrid's father went to answer the door. The massive figure of Stoick the Vast entered the house. After him was his nephew, Snotlout, and lastly Hiccup. Astrid's heart made a flip, when she saw her fiancé. He was dressed nicer than usual. Instead of his worn, oversized green shirt, he wore a white one. It too was too big for him, but the whole shirt was nicely finished with typical Viking ornaments sewed at the sleeves and the collar. It looked like he tried to comb his hair but it didn't really work. Her baby-blue eyes met his emerald green ones and her heart skipped a beat in spite of herself. 

The two families exchanged their greetings and sauntered down. Soon, Solveig came with wooden bowls containing the, deliciously smelling, stew and placed them before the awaiting Vikings. After Astrid's mother came with the last bowl, she clapped her hands together and they started eating. A light conversation about both tribes trading broke out. Astrid groaned inwardly at the boring topic. She looked at her brother and saw the same expression. She would rather talk about battle tactics or just _anything_ more exciting than tribal economy. The blonde cast a look towards her betrothed and was met with his amused smile. He clearly noticed how bored she was. Suddenly she felt stupid for not listening. She would be more attentive, maybe just to wipe that smug expression off Hiccup's face. 

As it turned out, the two Chiefs were talking about the amount of yields this year. She saw Snotlout staring at her from the corner of her eye. Astrid wasn't sure if it was because he was still angry for the situation a few days ago or he was just thinking of another horrible pick-up line. Either way, she shot him a nasty look to make him stop whatever he was planning to do. 

"So Hiccup, what do you like doing?" she heard her father trying to start a conversation. Hiccup went to open his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by his father. 

"Oh, lad has been working as a forge apprentice fer almost nine years now. Our blacksmith, Gobber, says he's now as good as any blacksmith." Stoick said, trying to impress Bjargey's chief. Astrid noticed a slight frown on Hiccup's face. Egil hummed in agreement. 

"Vern said that you volunteered to fix the locks in the arena." Hiccup nodded curtly. Before he had a chance to speak, Stoick once again cut his son off. 

"Oh yes. The boy is very helpful. Takes up any occasion to help the people around him." The auburn-haired teen just sighed quietly. Astrid scowled. Why didn't Stoick let his own son say something? It was like he wanted to impress Egil with what Hiccup could do, but was afraid that the boy would ruin it, if he tried himself. Egil noticed it too. He frowned slightly at the Berk's chief. 

"With what weapon do you like to train, _Hiccup_?" He tried again, while looking directly at the teen. Hiccup shrunk noticeably at the question. Astrid realized it was a dangerous terrain. 

"He doesn't train. He can't fight." Snotlout interjected with a smug smile. He crossed his arms and looked at Astrid. So he was jealous. She still didn't get how family members could dislike each other so much. Snotlout just loved to dug holes under his cousin, didn't he? Stoick the Vast's face turned into a scowl, knowing it was true and that it would put Hiccup in the wrong light. 

"Is that true?" Astrid's father looked at Hiccup, surprised. He had never heard of a Viking that couldn't use any weapons to defend himself. Hiccup looked at the table. He was a really good actor, Astrid decided. 

"He's useless." As soon as the words left Snotlout's mouth, the whole table went silent. Astrid saw a flash of real hurt on Hiccup's face and that was enough to make her blood boil. She griped her spoon tighter. She saw Hiccup's hand clutching his pendant under the table. Egil had a disturbed expression on his face, processing all that had been said. Solveig cleared her throat and asked if someone wanted a helping. Everyone refused with a somehow tight smile, the tension still very much present in the air. Astrid's mother started gathering the empty bowls. Hiccup stood up. 

"I'll help." He muttered and started helping her mother taking them back to the kitchen. Astrid grabbed hers and her brother's bowls and went after them. 

"Thank you. You didn't have to." Solveig smiled warmly at the teen and he replied with a smile of his own, albeit a sad one. Astrid came with the bowls and set them on the counter. She turned to look at Hiccup. He was turned the other way, his shoulders hunched. The older teen was at least a head taller than her mother. In comparison to Solveig, he wasn't all that small. Sure, he still stood out with his rather slender built but it wasn't as blatant as usual. That was probably the reason why Hiccup insisted on standing beside his father's massive figure so often. It made him look smaller. If he were to stand beside Astrid, the difference would be noticeable. Not only was he taller than her, but his shoulders were actually quite wide, with his limbs not being as thin as they seemed at first. Astrid went to help her mother and fiancé with cleaning up the dishes. They did it in silence, though it was a pleasant kind of silence. Astrid heard that a small conversation broke out between the Chiefs again. She couldn't make out what they were talking about, though. 

By the time they finished cleaning, Stoick gruffly signaled it was time for them to go. 

"Thank you. You're a good lad." Hiccup smiled tightly at her mother's words. Solveig hugged him goodbye. The teen, not used to those kind of things, didn't know what to do. His arms were awkwardly hanging by his sides which led Astrid to laugh a little. She covered her mouth with a hand when he sent her a slightly scared look. Her mother released him and the teen went to awkwardly bid her father and Gunnar goodbye. He avoided Egil's gaze the whole time. He and his family exited the house and she saw her father exhaling heavily. Astrid wanted to go after Hiccup and make sure he was okay, but it was already dark and she would've to ask her dad for permission to leave the house now. The blonde girl sighed and went to clean the table after another disastrous meal. 

* * *

Astrid sneaked out of her room in the middle of the night. She couldn't sleep – too many things were on her mind. The moon was high in the sky, making it quite easy to see. She went to the forest. Astrid didn't even realize when she reached the clearing where she and Hiccup found the Scuttleclaw. The moon lightened up the whole place, making it look even more beautiful. And then she heard a scream. Not a piercing scream of someone in a death-life situation. It sounded really frustrated, instead. Like someone who had to bottle up his feeling for quite some time and now could finally scream it all out in the forest. Astrid crept towards the sound, though she was pretty sure whose screams those were. 

Her assumptions turned out to be right as what she saw in the middle of the clearing, was Hiccup. He had removed his shirt as it had been thrown away in the dirt, purposely crumpled and muddied. She couldn't really see that well, but his right hand seemed to be bleeding and his face was dirty. His green eyes shone unusually bright in the dark. He opened his mouth in surprise, clearly not expecting anyone here, especially at that hour. 

"Astrid?! What are you doing here?" he said in a mix of surprise and anger. Astrid looked around and saw that the tree nearby had some of its bark cracked. That would explain the hand, she supposed. Then her gaze turned to Hiccup and she noticed how _very_ shirtless he was. He definitely wasn't scrawny – he didn't have bulging muscles like his cousin, but it was clear that his years as 'the runt of the village' were over. Then she saw something else in the moon's dim light. There were scars, quite a lot of them, running over his stomach and shoulders. One of them was bigger and deeper than the others – it was along the entire length of his stomach's left side. Astrid's hand flew to her mouth involuntarily. Hiccup somehow came back to his senses and, seeing at what the girl's gaze fell upon, he tried to unsuccessfully cover himself with his hands. She remembered how in the beginning of Dragon Training, three years ago, she said that it was only fun if you got a scar out of it. Looking now at Hiccup's marks and his ashamed face, Astrid changed her mind. They stood in silence, neither of them knowing what to do. Hiccup sighed and his hands flew to his sides revealing the marks again. 

" What's the point. You're going to see it in a few days anyway." He muttered, resigned. Astrid didn't know what he was talking about at first, but then the realization came to her and her face went completely red. She was thankful that he couldn't see her all that well right now. The blonde completely forgot about the wedding consummation. The thought alone about doing _that_ was terrifying, but to make the situations worse, there would be witnesses around. Hiccup ran a hand through his hair. He turned slightly and picked up the shirt from the ground. She saw something weird on his right upper arm. It was a tattoo. It was too dark to say what exactly it was, but it definitely was a tattoo. It looked a bit like a Viking helmet covering upper half of a face with an undulating trail at the end and something else at the bottom of it. **[1]**

"Are you okay?" she felt like it was such a dumb thing to ask. He looked anything _but_ okay. The seventeen-year old wanted to say something else, but it was the only thing that came out of her mouth. He was angry when Astrid found him. She was sure that today's dinner had been the cause of it. The older teen's anger resurfaced as he flung on the creased and once white piece of clothing. 

"You shouldn't listen to Snotlout. I don't really know you or him that well, but I know he's wrong. You're not useless." She tried gently. Astrid was never good with words or comforting others, but she felt an unexplainable need to comfort him. Seeing him like that made her stomach twist in an uncomfortable way. Hiccup snorted and shook his head. 

" You don't have an idea how it feels to be the village's laughing stock your whole life." He spat out with venom. Astrid cast her eyes downwards. No, she didn't know. She was well respected in her village. The girl was known for her skills with an axe and everyone knew not to get on her bad side. They called her a Shieldmaiden or even sometimes a Valkyrie. Her train of thoughts was interrupted by Hiccup. 

" They call me Hiccup the Useless, Hiccup the Screw up. They don't have an ounce of respect for me and yet, I stayed, even though I could've left many years ago. Do you know why they arranged the marriage? Because I would've been casted out soon enough if it weren't for that." Astrid's eyes widened. She knew that Hiccup was marked as 'the runt', but she didn't realize how close to disowning and banishment he was. Something else that he said grabbed her attention. 

"Why didn't you?" Hiccup looked at her confused. 

"What?" 

"Leave. Why didn't you leave?" Hiccup looked up at her, like he wasn't expecting her to ask this. Some of his anger disappeared. He shook his head. 

" This whole Dragon Riding isn't just rescuing captured dragons. It's a lot bigger than that and my position as the heir of Berk might be a crucial element in the future to achieve what we want." 

"And that would be?" Astrid asked, uncertain. She wanted to believe that Hiccup and the others had good intentions, but by achieving 'what they want', he could understand taking control of the other villages by force, using the dragons. For all she knew, they could be planning an invasion and that was something she didn't want to be involved with. 

"Peace." Hiccup answered simply and Astrid felt lighter. "To end this pointless war between Vikings and dragons. For good. If it came to that, then my position would help. Of course my relations with the islanders would have to improve, but maybe if they saw me as more than a screw-up… who knows?" he shrugged at the last part. Astrid thought about it and the vision of a peaceful life alongside the dragons didn't sound half bad. Her parents, her brother, _safe_ for once. Then she remembered something. 

"You said you weren't trying to be subtle… I was supposed to find out, wasn't I? Me, specifically." Astrid looked at her betrothed. 

"You're important." He said bluntly. He straightened himself. "We want things to get better, Astrid." 

"Do you think it's even possible?" she asked a bit skeptically. It was all good to dream of a life like this, but how big the chances were that it could become reality? Hiccup nodded with a small smile. 

"Everything's possible if you just try hard enough. Maybe it can't be seen here _yet_ , but the world is already changing." Astrid was silent for a second, deep in thought. 

"If what you say is true," she started and took a step towards her fiancé. Astrid looked him dead in the eyes. "then I'm in." 

**A/N:**

 **[1] It's the symbol, which Hiccup has on his right shoulder pad in the second movie.**

 **As this Friday is Good Friday, I am not sure when will be the next chapter. It will surely be posted this week, though it could be Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Don't be surprised if it'll be a bit earlier or later than usual. :D**

 **Guest 1** **: Thank you very much. :D I'm really glad you like the way I show Astrid here. Hope you liked the chapter**

 **DragonNut** **: A Deadly Nadder for now. ;) And I can't tell you that, though now things are probably a bit clearer. Don't worry, everything in due time. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :D**

 **01** **: Thank you for your message. I would've PM-ed you BUT, seeing that at the time you hadn't read the rest of the chapters yet, I didn't want to spoil it. When I saw your message, I was like: "Yeah, but it was in… oh, you** _ **haven't**_ **read that part yet." Well then, hats off to you. :D Congratulations, you were right!**

 **Guest 2** **: Heh. Thank you! You're awesome too. Thank you for the review. :D**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	9. The Revelation

**Hello peoples! How are you this fine day?**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **With that being said, or rather written – enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 9**

 **The one with revelations.**

Astrid was surprised. 

She didn't expect to see Oili on the other side of the door. 

It had been four days since Astrid declared she wanted to help with ending the dragon-Viking war. Hiccup had been quite surprised to hear her statement. He didn't expect she'd be willing, at least so soon. But the girl saw a chance in what her betrothed said. Maybe, just maybe, the world could look the way Hiccup said _they_ wanted it to be. They'd never be completely safe, of course. The dragons were not the only problem. Vikings were people that loved to fight and if they couldn't fight dragons anymore, they would surely find some other way to release their craving for some good ol' action. That was just the way it was and Astrid was pretty sure that it would not change for some time. She still had trouble comprehending that the Dragon Master and the heir of Berk were, in fact, the same person. To add to that, it was also the man she was going to marry very, _very_ soon. It was a lot to take in, she supposed. 

With the mentioned wedding around the corner – just one day away - the amount of preparations grew rapidly in the last few days. Also, her mother insisted on even more lessons of sewing, cooking and such. Which annoyed Astrid to no end. She didn't have much free time and she wasn't able to talk to Hiccup, except for some small and pretty much meaningless chat from time to time. She saw glimpses of him now and then, but he too was always busy with something at the time. She wanted to get out at night at least, but she was almost caught the last time. The teen slipped into her bed just in time; if she were a few seconds later, her father would have walked in to an empty room and that would not end well. She honestly didn't need an argument to break out just before their parting. Astrid decided not to push it for now. Today she was having another try at sewing. The girl cursed, in a way that would make a grown man blush, after she stabbed her finger with the needle once again. Her mother sent her a pointed look at which Astrid rolled her eyes inwardly. It wasn't for her. Axe-throwing? Sure. Combat training? No problem. Sewing and cooking? Not so much… That was why when she heard a knock on the door, she was on her feet to answer right away. 

"Hi." Oili waved her hand, rather awkwardly. Astrid raised an eyebrow. She didn't remember ever seeing Oili at her doorstep. Or her being shy, for that matter. 

"Hi?" she answered, though it came out more like a question. The older girl didn't really know what to think of Oili anymore. Her dislike towards the other girl lessened a bit, but she'd have to get to know her better. Among other things, Hiccup taught her not to judge a book by its cover. 

"I was wondering if you can spare a few minutes? We could hang out for a while?" The sixteen-year old asked a bit hesitantly. Astrid turned her head towards the inside of her house. If she refused, she would have to get back to sewing and she had had enough of that. Maybe spending some time with Oili wouldn't be that bad? Solveig was looking at her daughter expectantly, not knowing who was on their front porch. 

"Mom, can I have a break and hang out with Oili Ahlberg for a bit?" Her mother was surprised to say the least. Astrid had complained several times about the younger girl, but maybe things had become better between the two girls recently? Or it was just an excuse not to go back to sewing. Solveig sighed and put down the pair of trousers she was currently working on. 

"Fine. But I want you to be back in an hour. We're going to try on the dress, remember?" Astrid nodded while fighting the urge to groan. She hated wearing dresses, especially long ones – they were so unpractical. Well, at least it was only for one day. The blonde closed the door behind her with a quick 'thank you', put her hands on her hips and looked at Oili expectantly. 

"We can go to the woods if you want?" the younger girl proposed. Astrid shrugged. She didn't want to come out rude, but she didn't know what she should say. Astrid didn't remember ever having an actual conversation with the girl. So they went to the forest. They walked in silence. Oili headed the other way than the clearing beside the cliff that her and Hiccup 'found'. Astrid wondered if the girl was going to show her something involving the dragons. Did Oili even know that Astrid agreed to help? Soon they reached a small glade. She remembered this place. She used to come here with her family when she was younger. It was here, that Egil took a six-year old Astrid for a first axe- throwing lessons. She and her brother often came here to swim in the small pond that was in the middle of the clearing. At least they used to do it when they were younger. This place wasn't far from the village, not really, yet it was so quiet here. She didn't know why she stopped coming here. The place was remarkably beautiful. Oili sat on the ground beside the water. Astrid, not knowing what else to do, joined her. 

"I heard you're on our side now." Oili started, sending her a small smile. So she _did_ know. When did she even find time to talk to Hiccup? He was busy as well. Or so it seemed. 

"If you think that things can change for the better, then I want to help." Oili's smile grew wider at the older girl's response, clearly satisfied with it. She nodded her head enthusiastically. 

"The more people are on our side, the bigger chance of success there is." Silence fell upon the two of them again. Astrid could hear the birds singing somewhere on the nearby trees. 

"You're lucky, you know." The sixteen-year old stated. Astrid looked at her confused. Did she mean her position in the village? Oili was a daughter of a poor fisherman, so it could be the case, she supposed. The blonde frowned slightly. 

"What?" She saw Oili fiddling with her fingers. The girl took a loose strand of her long, silky hair and tucked it in behind her ear. 

"Marrying him, I mean." Astrid felt rush coming to her face at first, but then she stopped to think about it more. Suddenly it all made a bit more sense. She somehow felt that Oili had been more hostile towards her since the announcement of Astrid's marriage, but she didn't look into it too much. The blonde remembered the lunch in the Great Hall when the younger girl defended her fiancé. And the blush that was spread on Oili's face in the forest… It all seemed to finally click into place. 

"You like him." Astrid blurted out. It was confirmed when Oili's face went a few shades redder. Were all the boys, all the flirts, just a distraction? 

"Doesn't matter anyway." She answered sadly. "He said I'm like a sister to him." Oili smiled sadly. Astrid winced. She didn't know how it felt to be rejected – she had never been interested in any of the boys, placing training as her top priority. Looking at Oili, she figured it must've really hurt. Astrid felt a pang in her chest. What if Hiccup and Oili _did_ have some history together and it just didn't work out? No, she was not jealous, she was better than that. But the blonde had to ask, to be sure. So that there wouldn't be any misunderstandings. 

" Did something happen between the two of you?" Astrid cringed at how quiet her voice came out. Oili started playing with a loose strand of her strawberry-blond hair. 

"We kissed." She responded after a beat. The older blonde felt a pang in her stomach. 

"Oh." That was the only thing that Astrid answered with. She didn't know why it bothered her so much. It was clear that Hiccup didn't return the other girl's feelings. Plus, it wasn't like Astrid and Hiccup had any kind of a romantic relationship. She had nothing to be jealous of. He wasn't hers, just like she wasn't his. And yet, the girl couldn't help but feel uneasy. 

"He cares about you. And you care about him too." Astrid went to protest, but Oili didn't let her. " _Even though_ you may not realize that. I've seen the way you look at each other." It was now Astrid's turn to twiddle with her hands, scoffing barely audibly. 

"How long have you known each other?" The blonde quickly changed the topic, as the previous one was making her slightly uncomfortable. She wasn't ready to admit that she, indeed, _might_ feel something for her betrothed. She wasn't ready to lower the walls she had built around herself since she was eight years old. She knew him for far too short for that. Astrid knew that she was slipping anyway, but she could at least pretend her feelings towards Hiccup were strictly platonic. Nothing more. The change of topic was a good idea because Oili's face loosened up, a shy smile making its way on her face. 

"Three years. I met him when I got lost in the woods." The younger girl yanked out a few strands of the long grass around her and started weaving a wreath. Three years. That would mean Oili was about thirteen when she and Hiccup met for the first time. 

"Does that mean you helped with defeating the Dragon Queen?" Hiccup said that a few months before their attack, he flew around the islands, seeking allies, but from what she understood, those were people from somewhere further away from the Barbaric Archipelago. Oili's hands skillfully wove the garland. Astrid observed, a bit jealous of the other girl's ability. The blonde could never do those things. Her hands weren't delicate enough to weave from such fragile thing as grass. Training with an axe your whole life has its consequences. 

"I didn't exactly participate in the battle. I was a back-up. They decided I was too young and too new to dragon riding. I found my dragon barely a month before and I was still a bit unsteady while flying on him. " She finished doing the wreath and made a knot at the end. Then the girl added with a laugh. "I'm much better now. Of course not as good as Hiccup and Toothless. No one is even close to them." Oili took the woven wreath and carefully put it on Astrid's head. She looked at her work, satisfied. The older blonde was too surprised to react. 

"Never mind Hiccup, I was always kind of jealous of you." Astrid's eyebrows shot up at the statement. 

"Of what?" she asked curiously. The garland felt weird on her head, but she didn't want to take it off and upset the girl. They were making progress. Kind of. 

" Of your beauty mainly, but not just that. I wanted to be as independent, as brave as you. " Oili responded sheepishly. Astrid looked at the girl surprised - she would have never thought that the sixteen-year old had such high opinion of her. 

"But _you're_ said to be the most beautiful girl our age." Astrid commented in return. Oili's cheeks went red. "And it's you that boys are literally fighting for." The younger girl only shook her head. 

"That's because they know that they don't have a chance with you." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "They only see me as a some kind of a trophy. I wish I could find some that would see me as more than a pretty face." Astrid thought for a moment and a smile crept on her face. She nudged Oili to the side. 

"This person might be closer than you think." She said, thinking about her brother. She knew that Gunnar admired Oili not only for her beauty, but also for her smarts and skills with a bow. The younger teen looked up at Astrid surprised. 

"Who?" 

"You're smart enough. You'll figure it out." Astrid knew she could just say it was her brother but that would most probably startle the girl. Plus, Gunnar would kill her if she did. "I'll give you a hint. It's not Snotlout Jorgenson." At that both girls let out a laugh. 

"Who knew, Astrid Hofferson _has_ a sense of humor after all." Oili said in a mock surprise after they calmed down a bit. Astrid punched the girl in the shoulder playfully and the girls smiled at each other. Who knew they would get along so well. If they had talked talked civilly before, who knows, maybe they would have become friends. Astrid looked at the sky and saw that her time had ended. She needed to be getting back home if she didn't want to face her mother's wrath. Solveig was a fairly calm person, but when she was angry… it was better not to cross her. Oili followed her gaze and she understood it was time to go as well. They both stood up and dusted themselves off. Astrid was about to head back but Oili grabbed her arm gently. 

"I just want you to know that Hiccup is a really great guy. He didn't have the easiest life, he deserves a little happiness." She said with a pleading expression. Astrid didn't know what else to do, so she settled on a simple nod. Oili, satisfied with it, started moving towards the village. Astrid followed her and together they headed back while chatting casually. They had a lot to catch up on. 

* * *

It turned out she was a bit late, but her mother brushed it away when she saw her daughter in a very good mood. When Astrid came home, she was smiling from ear to ear and had a wreath made out of grass on her head. Solveig didn't remember when was the last time her daughter wore one of those. Astrid was surprised to see Ruffnut in her house. She quirked an eyebrow. 

"Your mother asked me to help you with the dress." Ruff explained, her voice sounding a bit bored. Or perhaps, tired. Astrid nodded and the two girls went to her room. When they entered, they saw Astrid's wedding dress laying on her bed. It was a simple one, inherited from her mother's family line. 

"Could you wait outside?" Astrid asked. Sure, they always bathed together on wash day, but somehow trying on her wedding dress felt like a moment in which she needed to be alone. 

"Yeah. Sure." Ruffnut looked a bit surprised, but did not comment on it. She did as she was asked, leaving Astrid alone in her room. 

When she put on the dress she decided it was… beautiful. It wasn't overly buff or ornamented. The creamy color **[1]** of the dress didn't hurt the eyes and the soft, silky texture was very pleasant to touch. The garment was quite long, reaching the floor. The sleeves, ornamented with a golden thread, were wider at the end. Astrid looked at herself in the mirror. The dress hugged her body nicely, it wasn't too tight, nor too loose. She looked, dare she say it, pretty? Astrid had never seen herself as someone very feminine, but as she looked at herself right then, she decided it wasn't _that_ bad. The blonde noticed the wreath on her head. She completely forgot it was even there. She smiled at the memory of her afternoon. The girl heard a knock on the door. 

"Come in." she invited her friend to come inside. Ruff slowly opened her door and smiled at the shorter blonde. The two girls definitely didn't have the stereotypical girlish relationship. When they were talking, they were discussing weapons and such, hardly ever it happened for them to talk about boys. Maybe when Ruffnut noticed someone 'really hot' – then she would babble about it the whole day. Astrid remembered when one time, a strange trading ship came to Bjargey. The captain of the ship had a strange name – Enet… Eret, or something like that. Ruff couldn't stop fawning about him for a week. It had been very annoying to say the least. So it was a big surprise when her friend beamed at her. The wide smile and the look in Ruff's eyes were making her uncomfortable. 

"Wow. You look great." 

"Thanks." Astrid answered a bit shyly. She didn't know from where it was coming from. She looked in the mirror again and wondered if Hiccup would think so too. Wait, what? No, no, _no_. She didn't just think that. Astrid had never done anything to impress a boy. And she would gladly stay that way. That was simply ridiculous. 

"What's that?" she heard raspy voice of her friend. When Astrid scrunched up her nose in confusion, Ruff gestured towards the wreath. The shorter girl smiled lightly. 

"Oh. It's from Oili." She answered with a wave of her hand. Ruff looked at her weirdly. 

"Oili? Since when are you friends with Oili?" her tone turned a bit skeptical, as she crossed her thin arms over her chest. Astrid shrugged her shoulders and was about to respond, when her mother and another women from the tribe, a close friend of Solveig, stepped into the room. Her mother gasped and brought a hand to her mouth at the sight of her daughter. Astrid could have sworn she saw some tears welling up at the corners of the older woman's eyes. Solveig went to hug her daughter. 

"Oh Astrid. Ye look beautiful." She hugged her daughter tighter. Solveig pulled away and pushed Astrid's blond bangs away, revealing her icy blue eye. "He'll be speechless when he sees you tomorrow." _He,_ again. 

"Your mother's right." Said Iona **[2]** , the other woman in the room. She winked at Astrid. The teen liked the woman – she took care of Astrid when the girl was small and her parents were off to same Chief business. The days that were spent together were a very nice memory. Astrid didn't have much 'fun' when she was a child. It was not the time, nor place for games. The dragons were a real threat then and so the blonde had to train hard since she was really young. But Iona somewhat managed to take a bit lighter approach, making sure that the girl was raised not to harbour only hate inside her. 

"Do you remember all the things you should say tomorrow?" her mother asked as she straightened the dress. Astrid nodded. Along with the wedding ceremony, there came all the (in her mind) ridiculous traditions. She had to learn some sentences she would have to say tomorrow at the ceremony. The statements were sometimes embarrassing and derisory, but she followed the Viking traditions, so the only thing she could do was groan inwardly and suck it up. 

"I'm glad the dress fits you." Her mother smiled at her again. Astrid changed back to her usual clothing and the four women talked for a bit more, discussing some more details related to the wedding. Well, her mother and Iona mostly. _Ruffnut,_ on the other hand, told her about Tuffnut being hit with something again. After some time Ruff had to leave for dinner. Not long after, Iona had to head back to her house too. Her mother started heating up some stew. She finished just in time when Egil and Gunnar entered the Hofferson household. They ate their náttmál while having a small talk about things that happened in the village that day. Egil saw her daughter looked a bit distressed. 

"Astrid, if you want, you can go for a walk. I can see you need it." Said girl looked up at her father with hope. "Just don't come back too late. You have to get up early tomorrow." Astrid beamed and quickly ran upstairs to grab her axe. When she got back, she hugged her father with one arm. 

"Thanks, dad." She said quickly and she was off. Egil chuckled slightly at his daughter. 

* * *

Astrid's original thought was to go to her usual training ground and throw her axe some, but her mind wasn't in it. All the wedding related stuff kept swimming in her head. She wasn't ready. The thing she dreaded a lot, was the ceremonial wash in the morning. She would have to be bathed by some older and barely-known women and listen to their marriage 'advices'. The blonde thought about her fiancé. He would have to go through the same thing, though something bothered her. She was pretty sure that he was keeping his leg, or rather lack of it, a secret. Probably along with the tattoo and the deep scars. His father wasn't aware, as far as she knew. Tomorrow at the wash, Stoick might be a bit surprised. Unless Hiccup had some kind of a plan. Who knows… She sighed and started going in the familiar direction of the clearing by the cliff. The teen went through the well-remembered path, as it was the route she had used quite often recently. Astrid secretly hoped that maybe Hiccup would be at the cliff too. Apparently she was in luck, because a familiar teen was sitting near the edge. She hesitated for a second before sitting beside him. 

"Sneaking out again, M'lady?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile. Astrid rolled her eyes. Where did that nickname came from, anyway? She was _not_ his lady. Normally, she'd be angry for something like that but the girl knew that Hiccup said it in a playful manner, not one that meant anything. 

"Actually, it was my dad that suggested I should go for a walk." The girl responded looking at the night view. She was glad it was still fairly warm. It wouldn't be long before all the snow and cold rain came back to grace the Vikings with its presence. Better to enjoy the good weather while it lasted. The sky was unusually cloudless, alighting the surroundings. The shining stars were visible and that was something that wasn't seen often. A perfect circumstances for some time to contemplate. 

"Nervous?" the question brought her back to reality. 

"Yeah." She breathed out. Normally Astrid would fought tooth and nail not to show any weaknesses, but she allowed herself this time. There was no point in hiding the truth – she and Hiccup were in this together. She saw Hiccup nodding, as if to say he felt that way too. Silence came over them. 

"It's not fair." She heard him whisper. Astrid turned to him. His face was so close, she could… no, she was _not_ thinking about this. "They treat us like objects, making the decisions for us, not asking if we agree. It's not fair, Astrid, for them to plan out our lives." He looked at her with his rich, green eyes. She bit her lip – the blonde could some of the moon reflecting in them. Was that even possible? They felt so captivating, almost like the eyes of a dragon itself. She felt herself getting closer to him. Hiccup grabbed her hand gently. She didn't swat it away, didn't even try to. She looked at their intertwined hands somewhat distractedly. Her hand was smaller than his but somehow she felt like they fit in together perfectly. She had never held hands with a boy before. 

When she finally looked up, she saw Hiccup looking into her eyes. He gazed at her a bit hesitant, as if he was asking for her permission and she felt herself leaning in. Did she want this? Oh, who she was kidding… Yes, she did. Her betrothed leaned in too and soon their lips met in a chaste kiss. She felt butterflies in her stomach – the girl had never experienced anything like that. She felt almost… drunk, forgetting all that was happening around her. His soft lips were moving against hers and Astrid couldn't remember a moment that felt as good as then. The blonde teen felt Hiccup biting her lip gently. She buried one of his hands in his soft hair. After some time they had to pull back for air. There was no denying it anymore – she liked him more than she ever liked a boy. But somehow, as she looked at him still breathless from the kiss, Astrid couldn't bring herself to think of it as something bad. 

**A/N:**

 **[1] I know that Viking's wedding dresses weren't always white like they are usually these days, but I decided that a creamy colored dress would fit in.**

 **[2] Iona in Old Norse means 'born on an island'. Original, I** _ **know**_ **. :D**

 **Guys, did you know that tomorrow will be exactly one month since I have posted the first chapter? It feels like** _ **years**_ **ago to me, to be honest. I want to thank you for the support. I feel like I do this too rarely. I really appreciate every review and thank you, _all_ of you. I have not expected such a positive feedback. God, I'm not a cheesy person in real life. Pretty much the opposite. See what you do to me? :D**

 **I was honestly surprised by the reactions that the last chapter has evoked. I'm glad that you _react_ – that you engage in the story. That's it for now, thank you for reading and I hope you liked the chapter. I want to wish Happy Easter everyone. And if someone doesn't celebrate it, then have a great weekend. :D As I would say in my native language – Wesołych Świąt Wielkanocnych i Smacznego Jajka. ****(don't worry, it were just some holiday wishes).**

 **Guest** **: Heh, thank you. :D Poor Stoick just wants what's best for Hiccup, though has no idea how to achieve it. And Snotlout, well, he has his reasons. Communication –** _ **communication**_ **is the key and they all have stubbornness issues unfortunately.**

 **Mel** **: Thank you very much! I checked out the tumblr account you wrote about and I got really hooked. Really, I spent a few hours reading through all the culture stuff. I love learning about cultures, especially Viking and Slavic ones, so it was really interesting for me. I am planning to edit the previous chapters so the wedding thing will be edited too. I used the VikingAnswerLady before but the more sources, the better. Hoped you enjoyed the chapter! :D**

 **Hypernova5.0** **: Yeah, Snotlout can be sometimes… well, you know. But it's the Snotlout from the first movie we're working with right now. He just needs some time. ;)**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	10. The Traditions

**Good morning/afternoon/evening peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Warning: suggestive themes. Nothing enough to be rated 'M', though. I don't suppose that** _ **everything**_ **will be historically accurate. Keep that in mind while reading. ;)**

 **And with that we shall begin.**

 **CHAPTER 10**

 **The one with traditions**

Astrid was uncomfortable. 

The women around her were the cause of this. She was at the ceremonial wash, for which Astrid was woken up pretty early. Attending her, were some of the female villagers, including her mother and Iona, making a total of five women. They took away her kransen and old clothes. Solveig removed the gilt circlet from her head and wrapped it to be put away and wait for Astrid's own daughter. If Astrid had anything to say about it, it would stay there for some time. Then the blonde was taken to the bath-house, where she was put in a bath filled with different kinds of oils and herbs. The strong smell made her cringe slightly. The heated stones near the bath were sprinkled with water to create steam. Unfortunately only married women could be present at this, so Ruffnut wasn't allowed to be with her. The older women started the ritual while telling Astrid their advices of how to live a married life. Some of the advices were actually helpful, but most of them were disturbing or downright ridiculous. 

"You should cook him fresh meals every day." One of them, a lady in her mid-thirties, said. She started washing Astrid's hair with some herbs. The brown-haired one, standing beside her, nodded in agreement. 

"Yes. When he's full and happy, he'll do anything you want. Plus, he'll be too tired to try anything that you don't." 

Astrid frowned. It was derisory. She couldn't imagine Hiccup behaving the way this women described 'every men' was. And the descriptions… oh, the _descriptions_. She would never be able to look at those women the same way again. She really didn't need to know what they did with their husbands behind the closed doors. What happened in the bedroom, should definitely stay there. Even Iona shared some stories of her own. The girl was really glad that her mother stayed silent on the subject. _That_ would be something that would scar her for life. She lowered herself deeper into the smelly water, trying to ignore the women. Her mother squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and leaned closer to the girl. 

"Just be yourself, Astrid. That's the best thing you can do. You already somewhat like each other, so that's a start." She whispered so that the other women didn't hear her. Astrid wondered how her betrothed's ceremonial washing was going and did he too receive some weird advices. He probably did. She licked her lips, trying to feel if taste of his lips still lingered on them. The kiss was magical, she had never experienced anything like that. For some it might be hard to believe, but it was her first. She was simply never interested in things like that. The blonde felt somehow relieved that her first kiss wouldn't be in front of all those people as they would probably expect that from them. It made yesterday's event even more special. Hiccup seemed to had enjoyed it too. After the kiss, they stayed together for some time. Her head involuntarily fell on his shoulder. Astrid was ready to take it back, when he sneaked his arm around her, it falling gently around her waist. A bit loose at first, as if he was waiting for her to brush it off, but when she didn't pull away, he hugged her body closer to his. If it were anyone else, she would've twisted his arm painfully and walk away, but with him she felt different. Hiccup made her feel safe. It sounded weird, as Astrid was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, a fact she had proved to be true many times before. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice it was time to get out of the bath and dress herself. 

The young bride hesitantly came out, avoiding other women's gazes. With their help, she got dressed in the prepared garment. Along with the dress, the women put some jewelry on her, a golden necklace and two bracelets, one for each hand. They left her hair unbound, as it was her last time to legally have it loose outside the house. It was weird for Astrid to see herself like that, the seventeen-year old always wore her hair in a tight braid to the side. It didn't get in the way while training when she had it that way. Her mother and Iona put her bridal-crown on. It was simple – woven from straw and wheat and garlanded with flowers. The bridal-crow felt a bit heavy and strange on her head. She already missed the familiar weight of her headband. At least her bangs stayed the same way. 

Astrid and the accompanying women exited the bath-house and headed towards a small clearing beside the old ring. It was the closest open area from the center of the village and it was often the place where weddings on Bjargey took place. It was quiet and the views were something to be admired. It wasn't long before her brother joined her. Gunnar was chosen to be the one carrying the family sword, which would be later presented to the groom. The closer they got to the destination of the ceremony, the more nervous she was. She needed more time, for Thor's sake! Spend more time with Hiccup, get to know him better. Sort out everything. Her feelings, the secrets - it was too much. 

The procession neared the clearing where all the guests were already waiting. Astrid looked around and saw the villagers, the people she grew up beside. And to think she would have to leave all this… Upon the bride's arrival, the Vikings turned their heads towards the girl. The other women left her to walk to the spot at the front along with her brother. Astrid saw Ruffnut and Tuffnut further away, standing by their family. The seventeen-year old also saw Oili with her parents. The younger girl gave Astrid a small nod. The bride nodded slightly to herself. She took a deep breath and saw Hiccup standing by the vǫlva **[1]** and his father, who looked a bit greenish. Her heart beat a bit faster when Hiccup looked at her. He looked good. The teen wore some specially ornamented long-sleeved shirt. It was red with golden elements. And of course it was in a too big size, the garment slightly falling of his right shoulder. He had his hair washed and it looked like they tried to smooth it out a bit but it didn't really work. Astrid smiled slightly at her soon-to-be-husband's unruly hair. It was so… him. 

_Whatever_ that meant. 

Astrid reached her betrothed and the vǫlva. The girl noticed the sword Hiccup had with him. She wondered if he had to break into his ancestors' grave to retrieve it or just listen to his father talking about the Haddock line's history. The weapon looked magnificent, though, with its blade shining in the sun. 

"You look beautiful." She jumped slightly, startled. Astrid raised her head to see Hiccup smiling at her with his crooked smile and slighlty reddened cheeks. The girl felt some heat rushing to her face, remembering yesterday's events. 

"You don't look bad yourself." She replied semi-honestly, because he looked so much more than that, but she was afraid to say it. She had never been attracted to anyone this way and it scared her. The vǫlva signaled the beginning of the ceremony and the two teens pulled away from each other reluctantly. The elder started an invocation that was to summon the Gods' attention. Two Vikings brought a podgy saw that was to be used as a sacrifice to Freya, the goddess of fertility and fine material possessions. Astrid wasn't a particular fan of this ritual, but she was a Viking, and Vikings liked blood and traditions. The vǫlva raised a knife and swiftly slit the animal's throat. With one last yelp, the sow was dead. Astrid saw Hiccup wincing slightly. Some of its blood was caught into a bowl. The Vikings took the dead animal away – its meat would be the main course later during the feast. The bowl with the animal's blood was placed on the altar built of heaped stones, and a bundle of fir-twigs was put in it. The vǫlva used it to sprinkle the newlywed couple and all the attending guests, as to confer the blessings of the Gods upon them. Astrid bowed her head as she felt the droplets of, still warm, blood falling on her. 

Then the 'fun' part came. The exchange of the swords and rings. Hiccup held the ancestral weapon to her. On the pommel of the sword was the ring that would soon become hers. He gently took her small hand into his bigger one and slipped the ring onto her third finger on the left hand. It was a beautiful ring, shaped like a spiral with Thor's symbol connecting the two ends. It seemed to be made of gold with a few silver parts. All in all, it was an amazing piece of jewelry. She had never seen anything like it. It fit her perfectly too. She remembered it was Hiccup who forged those. Her betrothed squeezed her hand slightly to reassure the girl. Astrid looked up at him and smiled a bit in return. She took his sword and gave it to Gunnar, who in exchange handed her their family sword. It wasn't nearly as impressive as the Haddock's one, but it was still quite beautiful. The young bride took the ring from her sword and grabbed Hiccup's slightly sweaty hand. She placed a similar, but bigger in width, ring on his finger. He took the weapon from her. 

The elderly woman announced it was time for the vows to be exchanged. The two teens placed their hands on the sword's hilt. Hiccup was first. Neither of them had any specific vows that they wanted to say to each other. Hiccup said some old vows, ones he probably taught himself weeks before the wedding. It wasn't anything particular, most of the things he said were quite general. Hiccup vowed he would protect her, that he would care for her. He was talking in an almost mechanical voice. When he finished though, he leaned closer to her. 

"And I promise to treat you on par with me." He whispered, so that no one else could hear. It wasn't well viewed for the man to treat his wife as an equal, but Gods knew how _glad_ she was that Hiccup was willing to. 

"Thank you." She whispered back. Clear gratitude could be heard in her voice. It was then her turn to say her vows. Like her fiancé, she said a speech she taught herself and trained over the last few weeks. It was nothing personal, but there wasn't enough time for them to write vows specifically for themselves, ones that actually meant something for them. For Astrid, the single line from Hiccup was enough. That was the most important thing for her if she was going to survive that marriage. 

The part that was meant for the outside was done. Then was the time for the traditional _bruð-hlaup_ , also known as the 'bride-running'. The Haddocks and the Hoffersons were about to race all the way to the Great Hall. A very enjoyable tradition, keeping the competitiveness well and alive between the Vikings. Astrid looked up at Hiccup and saw a growing smirk on his face. She figured he was going to try and win. 

_Over my dead body_ , Astrid thought with a smirk of her own. 

The vǫlva gave a sign and both families took off. Both parties gave everything they got, but in the end it was the Haddock family that won. Gunnar turned out to be quicker than Snotlout, but it was Hiccup that reached the wooden Hall first. He leaned on one of the beams of the Great Hall, looking smugly at Astrid. Said girl just rolled her eyes at him. The auburn-haired teen took his sword out to perform yet another tradition. He blocked her way to the Hall. In response, Astrid grabbed his hand and let him lead her inside, careful not to trip on the threshold, as it would be viewed as a bad sign for their marriage. She had to be very cautious, because her long dress was getting in the way. It was probably the reason why she lost the race. Thankfully, it all went smoothly and, together, they entered the Great Hall. 

The next tradition required Hiccup stabbing one of the pillars in the Mead Hall. The deeper it went, the luckier the marriage would be. Astrid really hoped that Hiccup wasn't going to stab the pillar with less force so that his cover wouldn't be blown up. She sent him a warning look. It was important to her, he had to know that. He nodded to her wordlessly, assuring her that he, indeed, knew what he was doing. The blonde watched as her new husband swung the weapon and plunged the sword into the pillar. A Berkian went to retrieve the weapon, a smug smile on his smile indicating he didn't expect much. He tried to grab the sword with one hand and was surprised to find out that his task needed a bit more force than he anticipated. After the man finally got the weapon out, he kept staring at the pillar bluntly. The scar was deeper than expected and so the Vikings cheered for the couple. 

It was time for the wedding feast to begin. Finally the time where Vikings could drink and celebrate, do things that they really enjoyed. As the newlyweds, Hiccup and Astrid were seated at the head of the table. Solveig looked at her daughter and nodded to her, looking to the side pointedly. At that, the girl remembered that she had to go and present a mug of ceremonial mead to Hiccup. She stood up quickly and, avoiding the stares, went for it. When the blonde came back, she slowly exhaled and ran over the words she had to say, one last time. She cleared her throat and said. 

_Ale I bring thee, thou oak-of-battle,  
With strength blended and brightest honor;  
'Tis mized with magic and mighty songs,  
With goodly spells, wish-speeding runes. _**[2]**

Astrid put the bridal ale in front of the other teen, cursing herself slightly. She couldn't have said that more stiffly. Hiccup, unbothered, grabbed the cup and made a 'T' sign on it, a symbol of the hammer of Thórr. He lifted the ale slightly and made a toast to Óðinn, after which the eighteen-year old took a sip and passed the drink to her. Astrid took it and made a toast to Freya. After that she took a sip as well and slightly winced at the unpleasant taste of the mead. She was never a fan of it. The girl drunk it only when there was nothing else to drink or when Ruffnut made her. It was Hiccup that stood up after that. He brought a war hammer with him and started his own formula, though the young man actually said it with _some_ emotion. 

_Bring the Hammer the bride to bless:  
On the maiden's lap lay ye Mjolnir;  
In Vor's name then our wedlock hallow. _**[2]**

He gently placed the heavy hammer in Astrid's lap. Said girl was red in cheeks, knowing full well what it was about. She noticed Hiccup's cheeks slightly reddening too. It seemed it was the end of the traditions for the moment. They could feast and the two teens could forget for a while about what was going to happen in a few hours. Some more important elders and people from the council came to congratulate the young couple. Most of them wished them strong sons and beautiful daughters and such, which was making the two of them uncomfortable to say the least. After the congratulations and wishes from the higher placed villagers were said, she spotted Ruffnut coming towards her. Astrid smiled. She haven't seen her friend the whole day and she felt like she needed some 'Ruff' time. Hiccup nodded with a smile, gesturing for her to go and enjoy herself while he would stay at the table and talk with the elders. Astrid smiled at him with gratitude and went to her friend. Upon seeing the shorter blonde, Ruff trotted closer and hugged her. 

"Hey. How are you holding up?" she asked as they pulled away from each other. Astrid shrugged. 

"I'm fine, I guess. It could be worse, though I'm really tired of all these traditions. It's hard to keep on track with them all." Astrid complained. Ruff smiled and then her eyes widened as she smiled wider. 

"Oh! I have to tell you about what I saw today!" the taller girl exclaimed excitedly. Astrid raised an eyebrow at that. Knowing her friend, the exiting news involved someone, most likely Tuffnut, getting beaten up by someone or something. 

"So," she started. "I was walking by the male part of the bath-house and I saw something interesting." Astrid crossed her arms over her chest. 

"You _spied_ on the guys at the ceremonial washing?" Ruff looked at her weirdly. 

"I know I'm crazy, but I _do_ have some decency left, Astrid." The taller girl shook her head. "What I saw was Hiccup's father and two other men running out of the bath-house, almost puking out their guts on the doorstep." That _was_ interesting. What happened? She had a suspicion, Hiccup had to do something with this. 

"Be right back." Astrid quickly muttered to her friend and went to find her new husband. Hiccup was sitting with Fishlegs and Snotlout, the latter one looking bored as hell. Astrid poked the auburn-haired teen in the shoulder. He turned to her, confused. 

"Can we talk for a second? Alone." she asked, stressing the last part, He nodded reluctantly, still not knowing what was going on. 

"Hey, save it for the wedding night." Snotlout slurred, obviously drunk of his ass. The two teens decided to ignore the comment and went to find a more secluded part of the Great Hall, a task that turned out to be quite difficult. Finally they found an empty table at the back of the Hall and they sauntered down. 

"Why did your father ran out of the bath-house, ready to vomit all over the place?" Hiccup twisted in his seat, further making her believe that he had to do something with it. So she added. "Don't lie to me." He sighed. 

"I couldn't let them see my leg. Or the scars. It would raise suspicion." He shrugged. Astrid widened her eyes. 

"You drugged them?! Are you _insane_?!" she asked incredulously. Hiccup made a silencing gesture with his finger, looking at her pointedly. 

"Gods, Astrid, I didn't _drug_ them. I just made them… occupied with other stuff for the wash." He explained while waving his arms around. 

"Wait, so you were alone there? Is that even legal?" At the ceremonial wash he should be given advices and with the help of the other married men he should have been prepared for the ceremony. If he 'occupied' everyone, then did the bath even counted? 

"I wasn't alone, don't worry. There were two other men with me." He took her hand hesitantly. Astrid let him run a finger over her hand, it was soothing, she'd admit. Astrid thought for a moment. Didn't that mean that those two Vikings saw it all? Unless… 

"Those other two are on your side, aren't they?" Hiccup merely nodded and squeezed her hand. 

" _Our_ side, Astrid." She sent him a small smile, though her stomach twisted slightly. She should've asked who exactly was there but for some reason she didn't want to know. Astrid didn't want to know about yet another tribe members that seem to be someone they are clearly not. Suddenly she remembered something. 

"Oh Gods, Ruff! I left her there." She said while quickly standing up. The blonde teen turned to Hiccup and bit her lip. "I'll be back in a bit." Hiccup laughed. 

"Go talk to your friend. I'll be fine." She smiled at him gratefully and quickly kissed his cheek without thinking much about it. 

* * *

It was already dark. Astrid knew that it were mere minutes before they were going to call her to perform one last tradition that day. To say she was nervous would be an understatement. Both her and Hiccup agreed to have some more mead. Astrid felt the alcohol swimming in her veins, making her more than a bit tipsy. But she decided it was better that way. There was a chance she wouldn't remember the following events and maybe the alcohol would help her. Hiccup was no less drunk, laughing at something equally drunk Fishlegs said. Most of her time was spent with them, even the twins, Oili and Snotlout joined in, the dark-haired Berkian constantly hitting on the female twin. Ruffnut, or rather a drunk version of her, didn't seem to mind that much. Astrid saw that her father and father-in-law were even more fuddled than them. She understood, though, and was somehow glad - their children were going to do… _that._ She shook her head, trying not to think about it. Somehow during the feast her hand found Hiccup's and their hand stayed clamped together ever since. It didn't bother them as Hiccup was left-handed and Astrid exactly the opposite. That simple gesture made her feel more relaxed. 

Maybe normal Astrid would not be so easy on holding his hand the whole time but _drunk_ Astrid saw nothing wrong with that. 

The seventeen-year old saw her mother approaching with the vǫlva and her heart started beating furiously in her chest, as she knew what would happen next. She saw the other Vikings, including her father, making their way towards the exit. In total, there would be six legal witnesses that would see them to the bedroom of the guest house. Solveig reached the teens and looked at her daughter. 

"It's time, Astrid." 

The girl swayed a bit as she was led to the guest house. The women from the wash came again and dressed her in a robe. The girl shivered slightly. The material was quite thin. She went towards the decorated bed in the middle of the small room. It was mere minutes later that a tall man walked in. _Hiccup_. Her husband, right. He looked no less drunk than her. She wasn't sure if she was glad for that or not. Following him were other witnesses. If she thought that the newlyweds had a bit too much mead, then she had no words for them. Her husband, Gods, she had a _husband_ now, sat beside her and leaned closer. His hands were shaking as he started taking off her bridal crown. He accidentally tangled up her hair, pulling it in the process, and Astrid winced. Normally his fingers seemed so nimble. Maybe he was stressed too? She saw that his eye started to twitch slightly. He finally got the garland off her head and placed it on a shelf beside the bed. He fiddled with his fingers and Astrid wondered what else those could do. She bit her bottom lip. 

Drunk Astrid was a slightly different person, as it turned out. 

"We should be, uh, going now." A male voice said. Astrid didn't care who it was. She kept staring at Hiccup with hungry eyes. His eyes seemed to have darkened too. The room emptied quite quickly, leaving the couple alone. 

"Astrid…" the taller teen breathed out. He smelled like alcohol. She probably did too. A completely new and exciting fire burned in her belly. "I-" 

"Shut your yap and kiss me already." 

He did. 

**A/N:**

 **[1]** _ **vǫlva**_ **– an elderly women that held great importance when it came to spiritual and religious matters**

 **[2] Hollander, Poetic Edda, p. 109**

 **Not much happened but it needed to be done. I'm leaving it here, unfortunately. I don't feel comfortable with writing it. I can write battle scenes or some other more adult-themed stuff but** _ **this**_ **is not something I'm comfortable enough with. You can imagine what happens after the last scene and if you don't, then I'm not going to be the one that will show it to you first. Also, if you're interested in Viking's life and stuff like that, I really recommend you to go to The Viking Answering Lady site. I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot from it. Dyannehs tumblr account is a great place for information too.**

 **The story has recently crossed the 100 favorites mark. Thank you so much. You're amazing! Funny thing is, the original idea was to have ten chapters before and ten chapters after the wedding, it being a 'bridge' between two parts of the story. It turned out to be much longer, though.**

 **I actually didn't know what a 'sow' was until I wrote this chapter. I think that's great about writing, especially for people like me whose first language isn't English. While writing the author's vocabulary extends greatly and it really, really helps.**

 **Thanks to all the people that read "When I Look At You". It was my first attempt at writing anything of that sort and I apologize if it got a bit too depressing. I guess I had more negative feelings inside than I originally thought.**

 **Guest** **: I hope it's quickly enough, heh.** **Everything in due time, my friend. ;) Hope it was worth the wait.**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	11. The Goodbyes

**Welcome fellow peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Warning: Once again, I don't suppose** _ **everything**_ **will be 100% historically correct. Keep that in mind while reading. :D**

 **Let the show begin – enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 11**

 **The one with goodbyes**

Astrid was warm. 

When she woke up, she found herself in an unknown place. It certainly wasn't her room, she would surely recognize it. Something fairly heavy was hanging over her stomach. Astrid shifted a bit to see what it was and what she found nearly gave her a heart attack. There was an arm. A male arm to be exact. Memories from the day before came to her. The wedding, then the consummation. Her eyes travelled further and finally laid upon the owner of the limb. Her husband, a term she would have to get used to, had his face mostly buried in a pillow, with his auburn hair sticking out in every possible direction. She heard his soft snoring. His back was partly uncovered and her eyes widened at the sight of a big, black dragon tattoo that covered it. If she thought that the scars on his stomach were bad, she didn't have the words to describe those on his back. Only now it hit her that she was less than clothed and the blonde brought the blanket higher up to cover herself, not that it would help much. Astrid didn't really remember much from the night before – only some bits and pieces, but those were enough to make her face go red. 

Gently, not to wake Hiccup up, she moved his arm and got up. She swore quietly when some pain shot through her body. And the headache… Ugh… Astrid started dressing up in any clothing that she supposed were hers. She noticed some blood on the sheets. Her blood. She felt… different. Astrid couldn't pinpoint how exactly, just different. The girl felt her hands shaking as she clumsily tried to put her clothes on. Her eyes stayed on the bed the whole time, making sure that Hiccup was, indeed, asleep. The seventeen-year old jumped slightly when she heard Hiccup finally waking up. She was lucky she managed to dress herself before that happened. Astrid thought about bolting out of the room, out of the house, but what was the point? They were married now, they would have to face each other sooner or later. Astrid was a Viking and she never backed down, even if the next few minutes would be the most awkward ones in her life. Wasn't she Astrid _Fearless_ Hofferson after all? Hiccup rolled onto his back and brought his arm to rub the rest of the sleep away. He slowly sat up and looked around, still a bit dazed. When his green eyes fell on Astrid, they widened and his face heated up a bit, making the mostly faded freckles stand out more. Hiccup quickly brought up the blanket to his bare chest, embarrassed. 

"Hi." She said meekly, her voice barely audible. Her hand went to rub her arm. Weirdly, she missed the warmth of the bed and him beside her. 

"I… eh, hi." He responded, refusing to make any eye contact with her. When Astrid was stressing out about the consummation of the wedding, somehow it never came to her that Hiccup could be as stressed and embarrassed about it, as she was. He was the Dragon Master, the person that faced the dragons unarmed. People forgot that he was also human, Astrid included. Scratch _that_ , most people didn't even think he _was_ human, more likely a demon of some sort. Astrid and Hiccup both didn't know what to do. They both were new to all this and that thought reassured her a bit. The blonde was thinking of something to brake the tension when she heard a knock on the door. She cast one last glance towards Hiccup and went downstairs to answer the door as she was already dressed. 

"Astrid." Solveig greeted her daughter with a hug. It was time for the last of the traditions. After the morning gift a bit later on, she would officially be a married woman. The thought wasn't as atrocious and repulsive as she thought it would be. Astrid had to leave with her mother and Iona but, not to startle Hiccup, she left him a small note on the table. She would rather not barge in while he was dressing himself. It was awkward enough between them already. 

Solveig and Iona escorted her back to her once family home. Astrid felt the villagers' eyes boring holes in her head. All of them wanted to see her to have something to gossip about later. Solveig stroked Astrid's arm gently to grab her attention. 

"Are you feeling ok?" Her mother whispered. Astrid merely nodded. Maybe ok was a bit of a stretch, but she'd live. Soon they reached the Hofferson household. There were women waiting for her with a vǫlva . Astrid was seated on one of the chairs by the family table. The women started brushing her long, blond hair. It got slightly tangled during the… night. 

"So." The vǫlva started. "Can you tell us your dream?" Astrid took a moment to remember it. It was a weird dream, but she nodded and started. 

"At first it was dark but then I was in… I think it was a cove." She looked at the elder, who gestured to her to continue. "I heard birds singing and a laughter. It was children's, I think. Then a black dragon came out-" 

"A dragon?" the vǫlva raised her eyebrow in surprise. "What kind of a dragon was that?" 

"I-I don't know. I haven't seen anything like it before." Astrid lied. She knew what dragon it was but a Night Fury had never been seen up close. At least not close enough for her to be able to describe it. Or recognize in a dream. The elder hummed. Astrid winced, as one of the women yanked on her hair a bit too harsh. 

"What happened then?" 

"The dragon had flowers in his mouth. He – _It_ gave it to me and smiled." The woman nodded and wrote something in her notebook. 

"Can you describe them?" Astrid furrowed her brow and concentrated. 

"There were four of them. Two of those were pink and the other two purple-blue. I think that one of the purple-blue ones was bigger than the others. And… that's it." She finished. The vǫlva appeared to be deep in thought. Meanwhile, the other women started braiding her hair. When they finished, they took the braid and made a bun of it on top of her head, leaving a few loose strands. Astrid dressed herself in the clothes that were left for her. Solveig took a long, snow-white, finely-pleated linen cloth, called the _hustrulinet,_ and placed it on her daughter's hair. All of the women turned to the vǫlva, waiting for her verdict. 

" You'll have a happy marriage with four children. Two pink flowers – two girls, two purple-blue ones – two boys. Your firstborn would be a son." Astrid' eyes went wide. That was… specific. Four children?! Surely the elder got something wrong… _right_? 

"Unfortunately I don't know what the dragon means. I've never encountered anything like that." Astrid was too shocked to respond. She couldn't imagine having one child, not to mention four. Solveig patted her daughter's shoulder, signalizing they should be heading to the Great Hall for the morning gift. The blonde teen exhaled shakily and nodded. 

The Hall was fairly empty. The villagers that weren't working in the village, were probably nursing a hangover back at home. As Astrid walked in, she saw her father, brother, the Haddock family and several representatives of the council waiting for her. She squirmed inwardly upon Stoick the Vast's gaze. The blonde felt her face heating up. He led his son yesterday for them to consummate the marriage. It was really embarrassing, full-well knowing that _they_ knew what happened yesterday. Hiccup must've felt the same, because his eyes were fixed solemnly on the table. She and her parents sat opposite her husband and father-in-law.

The morning gift was presented, along with the key to her and Hiccup's new house on Berk. While handing it to her, Hiccup finally looked up at her. She tried to smile and he returned it hesitantly. She saw Egil boring a hole in the young man's skull. When the blonde girl opened the chest, she gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. It was _way_ too much. She had never seen so much gold in her life at once! Her father must've thought the same thing, because his eyes went wide as well. 

"Stoick, we can't accept that. It's too much." Berk's chief just waved his hand. 

"No, it's not. It will come in handy when the children come." At that Astrid's face retuned to the previous shade of red. She clenched her fists slightly. _Yeah, all four of them._

With the morning gift being presented, the marriage had become official. She was now a wife, a married woman. She wasn't sure how she felt about it. 

"We'll be leaving in the evening." The gruff voice of Stoick the Vast brought her back to the reality. Astrid was already packed, the only thing she had to do was say goodbye to everyone. She considered herself as a _slightly_ sentimental person, and leaving the island she grew up on was hard. At least she'd have Hiccup at Berk. Well, when all the awkwardness blows away, that is. The elders and people from the council parted, going back to their everyday duties. Soon her brother went to train with his friends. Before leaving, he sent his sister a small, reassuring smile. Egil had to attend some Chief business. In mere minutes, everyone had gone to do their things, which left Hiccup and Astrid alone. Both of them knew they had to start talking to each other, but neither of them knew how to begin. The silence was becoming unbearable. 

"You look… nice." Hiccup said after what felt like _years_. Astrid looked at him surprised. 

"Thanks, I guess." She responded uncertainly, rubbing her arm. 

"I have no idea what I'm supposed to do, sorry." Astrid smiled slightly. 

"Well, you're in luck, because I'm clueless too. As surprising as it is, it's my first marriage." Her smile grew when she heard him chuckle in response. Astrid came closer to him, ignoring the slight pain, and looked him in the eyes. She had an unexplainable desire to be close to him. Maybe hug him, but it'd be weird, wouldn't it? 

"I'm sorry." He muttered. She _almost_ missed it. Astrid raised an eyebrow.

"What for?" she asked confused. He ran his hand through his hair. Astrid almost volunteered to do it for him. She had a weird attraction to it. Actually, she wasn't in control of her feelings and emotions ever since she met him. 

"I-I don't really know. For the whole marriage? I know it wasn't my choice either, but I feel guilty you had to go through this. And I don't know how much you remember from yesterday but-" he was cut off by Astrid pressing her lips to his. The blonde teen didn't know why she did this. His lips looked so inviting. It was almost like her body moved on its own. The kiss was short but both of them were left dazed after it. Seeing Hiccup's widened eyes looking at her, taken aback, she felt stupid by acting on impulse. _Again_. 

"Sorry, I –" she didn't know what to say, nor how to explain her actions without bubbling out that she _might_ like him more than a friend and scare him away in the process. If the kiss wasn't an enough indication, that is. Which she was pretty sure it was. 

"Did you mean that? Or was it to just shut me up?" Hiccup finally seemed to come to his senses. He sounded fairly skeptical that someone would actually consider kissing him without a very good reason. 

"Both?" Astrid answered, but it came out more as a question. Hiccup seemed to lean closer to her, as if he wanted to kiss her and Astrid had no objections there. Their lips were centimeters apart when- 

"There you are! I've been looking for you the whole morning!" The two teens heard Ruffnut's raspy voice, which resulted in them jumping away from each other like two scared animals. Ruff raised an eyebrow at her friend, flashing her a knowing smile. 

"Well, I was here." The shorter blonde responded lamely. _Really Astrid, that's the best you could do?_

"I'm going to the forge. I-I left a few things there. I have to pack them before we leave." And with that Hiccup scattered away, sending the both girls a weary smile. Astrid wanted both murder and thank her friend and she honestly wasn't sure which side was winning. 

"Sorry I interrupted your make-out session out there, " Yep, definitely murder. "but you're leaving tonight and I wanted to spend some time with you. When you'll be gone, all I'll have is my stupid brother." Ruffnut huffed. 

"Yeah, sure." The shorter girl shrugged, trying to hide her red face. "But it wasn't what you thought it was." 

"Whatever you say." Ruff said, laughing at Astrid' obvious discomfort. In response the newlywed teen slugged her friend's shoulder, which only made her laugh harder. " So, how does it feel to be married?" the taller blonde asked in a more serious voice. Astrid thought for a second. How _did_ it feel? 

"I don't know. I've been officially married for what? An hour?" she shrugged. Yes, she felt different, but it was more probable to be due to other reasons. 

"Have you kissed before the wedding?" Ruff's voice cut through her thoughts. Astrid's face was an answer itself. "Ha! Tuff owes me desserts for a month!" she pumped her fists in the air. 

"You and Tuffnut betted on it?!" Astrid turned towards her friend angrily. Ruff, unfazed by the angry Viking, shrugged. 

"Tuffnut thought you'd chicken out and your first kiss would be, you know, _later_ " she said emphasizing the last word. "but I knew better." She finished, proudly pointing to herself. Astrid sighed. There was no point in being angry at the taller girl. She didn't want to part with her while she was angry. So Astrid decided to let it go and spent some quality time with the female twin. Who knew when they would see each other again. They went to the forest for a walk and talked. About everything, the past, the present and the future. The two friends recalled the childhood they spent together. After some time Tuff came and joined in with his own stories to share. All in all, she had a great time with them. Unfortunately, the twins were called to do some chores and Astrid was left alone. She took a walk and visited her usual training ground. She finally had some time to think. 

The blonde licked her lips and found that she could still feel his taste on them. She pondered on where the two of them were standing. Well, officially they were married, but that was what they were to strangers. Astrid wanted to know what they were to each other. Were they friends, or did it go further than that? She knew she was attracted to him and he seemed to return that attraction. But Astrid had already realized some time ago it wasn't just the appearance that she liked about him. He had a brilliant mind and a sarcastic humor that was almost always able to cheer her up a bit. Another thing was that Hiccup was the Dragon Master. It surely complicated things, but if what he and other Dragon Riders were saying was the truth, then she was willing to discard all the wrong things she was taught about the dragons. Her thoughts ventured to the Nadder. She haven't even realized that she missed the reptile. Astrid wondered, if the dragon was okay and if her, _its_ , wounds healed b now. Maybe she could ask Hiccup to visit the dragon. Shaking her head, the blonde decided it was time to go back to the village. She didn't want the villagers to look for her. Plus, she wanted to say goodbye to her family and she wasn't going to do that in a rush. 

By the time Astrid reached the village, it was already quite late. She wouldn't have as much time as she thought. The blonde teen saw villagers carrying some barrels in the direction of the docks. Those were probably supplies for the journey to Berk. Astrid decided to go to the docks too. It was more likely to find her family there than in her house. She was proved right when she saw her parents and brother standing near the Berkian ship. Solveig was the first to notice her daughter. She went and hugged her. 

"Oh, Astrid. Where have ye been? We've been looking for ye." She exclaimed and brushed away the girl's bangs, revealing her left eye. "Yer father already brought your things here. Ye should check if he took everything." The blonde Viking nodded and went to look for her things. After she checked if she had everything a few times, she looked at the sky. The sun was already setting, meaning that they would probably set off soon. Suddenly Hiccup appeared by her side. 

"Dad says we're leaving soon." He said while his hand moved to scratch his neck. Astrid nodded. She saw the twins coming towards her. Ruffnut did something very unRuff-like and swung her arms around her friend. 

"I'm going to miss having a fairly normal person to talk to." She mumbled. Astrid hugged her friend tighter. She didn't know, if she would find any girls on Berk that she could talk to like she did with Ruffnut. They pulled away and the shorter teen looked at Tuff. They shook hands, but the male twin decided it wasn't enough and pulled her in for another hug. After nearly being suffocated, Astrid said their last goodbyes to them and went to her family. She could see tears streaming her mother's face and she felt a wave of melancholy. After yet another hug she went to say goodbye to her brother. Gunnar would never admit it, but Astrid could see he was trying very hard to stay strong. 

"I'm gonna miss you, big sis." He punched her shoulder playfully as they would do all the time when they were younger. Astrid responded with a punch of her own. 

"I'm going to miss you too, Gunnar." They smiled to each other last time and the blonde girl went to say the most painful goodbye. She found her father sulking by one of the houses by the docks. 

"Hi." She said quietly but it was enough to grab her father's attention. She had never seen her father like this. 

"I'm sorry Astrid." Said girl looked up at the man who raised her. " I shouldn't have pushed ye into this. You should've been able to make yer own choices. I hope ye can forgive me." At first she felt a small wave of anger. She was angry that it took Egil so long to figure it out. But as soon as the anger came, it went away. Astrid knew her father wanted the best for her and Bjargey. Besides, she could've been married to someone a lot worse. She already, yes she would say it, cared somehow for her new husband and she could only hope that they wouldn't stop getting along. 

"Dad, it's fine." She tried to reassure him. Egil looked at her seriously. 

"Do you think ye can be happy with him?" he asked softly. She was a bit taken aback by it, but she nodded nonetheless. 

"Yeah, I think I can." She smiled at him. Egil pulled his daughter in for a bone crushing hug. 

"I'm so proud of ye, Astrid." The said girl felt her stomach tightening at those words. If only her father knew what she did behind his back… He would _not_ be proud of her then. She went to answer, but a loud horn rang throughout the docks. It was time to go. The father and daughter pulled away and went in the direction of the ship. She saw Hiccup waiting for her at the gangway between the docks and the ship. Astrid bid her last goodbye to her family and started heading towards her husband. Someone grabbed her arm, though. She turned around to see Oili. 

"I'm not saying goodbye because we're going to see each other soon." Oili said with a small smile that vanished when she continued." But I came to warn you. Hiccup might not be himself once he comes on board. Please, don't blame him – he's not really aware of what he's doing." Astrid wanted to ask more about Hiccup's fear of travelling by water, but a second horn could be heard, so she settled for a wordless nod. The blonde girl quickly walked towards the ship and climbed on board. She could already see the uneasiness on Hiccup's face, his hand almost mechanically coming to grab his pendant from under his shirt. She grabbed his hand and he turned to her, a bit more relaxed. The third horn rang and the ship moved, causing Hiccup to tighten his grip on Astrid's hand. The girl didn't even register it, as she was focused on her family's decreasing forms. Soon the island was getting further and further away. As the sun got even lower, a wave of tiredness hit her. 

"Where can I get some rest?" she turned towards the auburn-haired teen. Hiccup jumped, startled. 

"Huh, what? Oh, right. Sorry." He said embarrassed. "This way." He gestured to follow him. Astrid noticed how tense he was, his eyes moving quickly, as if looking for any threats. He lead her downstairs where most of the sleeping cabins were. He took out a key from his pocket and used it to open one of the doors. She was greeted with a small but cozy room. It had some sketches plastered on the walls and she figured it was Hiccup's cabin. It only now downed on her that as a married couple they would have to sleep in one bed. As if sensing her discomfort, Hiccup took out a blanket and a pillow from one of the closets. 

"You can sleep here and I will go somewhere else." 

"Are there any free cabins left?" she didn't think so. If there were, then Hiccup would lead her to it, instead of his own room. The taller teen waved his hand. 

"Don't worry about it. I'll find some place." Astrid frowned. If he thought she was going to let him sleep somewhere on the floor in the corridor or worse, he had another thing coming. She looked at the bed in the middle of the room. 

"Look, the bed is quite spatial. We can fit in together and we won't even touch one another. We can have separate blankets and pillows. I'm not letting you sleep Gods know where." She said sternly with her hands on her hips. What she said was true, though. The bed was designed for two Viking-sized people to fit in and, as neither of them were even close to it, they would have plenty of space for each other. They couldn't call it sleeping together if they were a feet away from one another. Hiccup looked hesitant, but a glare from Astrid stopped him from arguing with her. 

"I just don't want you to see me like I was then." He said after a beat. At first didn't understand but then she got it. He meant the accident from Dragon Island. Astrid's face softened. 

"Hiccup I won't judge you and maybe if I'm here I can help you with it." When Hiccup was about to open his mouth she added. "Just give it a try." The teen sighed but made no further objections. Astrid smiled satisfied. She herself didn't know if sleeping in the same bed was a good idea and the thought alone made her a bit uncomfortable, but she wasn't going to kick him out of his own room, his own bed. There wasn't enough place on the floor for him to sleep comfortably in the cabin so he would've had to find a place somewhere else and it just wasn't fair for him. And if Hiccup actually had an accident similar to the one on the rocky beach, then it'd be better if he had someone with him in the room. As she looked at him, she saw his nervous face and Astrid once again wondered: 

_What could have possibly happened to make him act this way?_

 **A/N:**

 **Guest 1** **: I'm glad you don't think that the story is any less because of what I decided to do. :D I tried to find some reasonable explanation for Hiccup's leg and scars remaining a secret and I'm happy that you found it cleverly done. And thank** _ **you**_ **for your support!**

 **Guest 2:** **Sorry but I'm not going to do that. :( I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless, though. :D**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	12. The Terrors

**Hello peoples! The story has over 200 followers! Thank you** _ **sooooo**_ **much, guys! Words cannot express how grateful I am. That's… a lot of people. :D**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Warning: I don't suppose everything will be historically correct. Keep that in mind while reading. ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 12**

 **The one with (night) terrors**

Astrid was wide awake. 

After she and Hiccup 'agreed' on sleeping in the same bed, they went to grab something quick to eat. She knew it was only to delay the inevitable. The normally calm Hiccup was behaving like a scared cat, his eyes flickering to the sides all the time, his body as tense as it could get. Astrid noticed his face was unusually pale. As they ate in silence, well, Hiccup poked his food with a fork and Astrid ate, the Berkian sailors were observing them form their own tables. Astrid would have shown them a piece of her mind if it weren't for her being tired and the fact that she didn't want to make a wrong impression the first day she was on the ship. Yes, she had a short temper – that didn't mean she was going to show it right away. 

The two teens went to change into their nightclothes, of course not in the same room. After Astrid dressed herself in her nightgown, she pulled her hair free from the bun. She felt nervous. The blonde never wore her hair loose, at least not for anyone to see. Hiccup came in, wearing a simple long-sleeved shirt and pants. He sat on his side of the bed and started removing his boots. Astrid went to her side and pulled her blanket closer to her. Even though it was the middle of summer, in the Barbaric Archipelago it meant only a bit warmer weather. She was fairly warm on the land, but she couldn't say the same thing about the middle of the sea on a ship. Seeing her slight shivering, Hiccup got up, walked to the closet, his bare foot and the metal leg making the floor creak, and pulled out two fur covers. One for her and one for him. 

"Thanks." She said with a smile when he handed one to her. Hiccup smiled too, but it didn't reach his eyes. She positioned herself more comfortable. The auburn-haired Viking laid on his side of the bed and pulled his covers on. 

"You're not taking it off?" Astrid asked gesturing to his leg. It had to be uncomfortable to sleep with a piece of cold metal attached to his leg, right? 

"No." he responded curtly. Hiccup blew out the candle on the nightstand beside him and rolled to the side in a way that his back was facing her. Astrid stayed where she was, wondering if he was just ashamed to show her his stump. 

"You don't have to be embarrassed. I've seen a lot of amputees in my life." She tried. What she said was the truth, though. Uncle Finn had a prosthetic leg himself. 

"Goodnight, Astrid." was his only response. The blonde sighed, blew out her own candle and mimicked him by rolling onto her side. She laid there, staring at the, barely visible in dark, wall. Somehow she wasn't that tired anymore. The bed was extremely big. With both of them laying at the other sides of it, there was still place for another person to fit in the middle. After some time she heard some soft snores coming from Hiccup's side and she felt her eyelids finally dropping. 

When Astrid woke up, it was still pitch dark and there was no sound other than the waves splashing the side of the ship. And then she heard something else. It appeared to be coming from Hiccup's side of the bed. The blonde turned around and saw that Hiccup, still facing the wall, was curled up into a tight ball. She could barely see in the dark, but she still noticed he was shaking. 

"Stop, please stop." She heard his pleading voice. She heard him whisper it again and again, like some kind of a mantra, and Astrid decided that enough was enough. The girl got up and tried to lit the candle, her hands shaking slightly while doing it. After a few seconds she succeeded and, with it in her hand, she slowly approached Hiccup. He had his face scrunched in pain, his hands tightly around the covers. Astrid put the candle on the nightstand and kneeled in front of the older teen's face. 

"Hiccup." She tried gently, but he didn't hear her. Astrid didn't really expect him to. She brought a hand to his face and brushed the bangs from his eyes to see his face better. That turned out to be a mistake, because it caused him to jerk violently, almost hitting Astrid in the process. Hiccup snapped his eyes open and took out a dagger from under his pillow. The blonde didn't have time to ponder how in the name of Thor it even got there, because Hiccup tried to attack her. She didn't expect that and tried to move back, almost hitting her head in the nightstand. The auburn-haired teen sat up in his bed. He was looking absently at the wall behind the blonde. His shaking hands were gripping the dagger tightly. Hiccup's knuckles were completely white, his face matching them in color. The girl noticed that he wasn't looking at her and wondered what did he see. It looked like he was having some sort of a nasty flashback again. 

"S-stop." He whispered shakily, his lips barely moving. "Don't… not anymore." 

She slowly came closer to him. He didn't even register that, still staring at the wall. His breathing was shallow and quick. Astrid wondered if she should go and find some help, but she was afraid of leaving him alone in the cabin. Plus, she doubted he'd be happy if she did that. Astrid stopped by the bedside and waved a hand in front of his face. Nothing, no reaction. 

"Hiccup… I'm not going to hurt you." The blonde started gently. His shoulders were a bit less tense, so she figured the softer approach was working. Astrid carefully laid a hand on his shoulder, but he flinched and held the knife further towards the invisible attacker. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. She tried holding up a hand again, but he gripped her wrist so tight it started to hurt. His absent gaze was now on her and his terrified, green eyes were something that would haunt her for sure. She tried to free herself, but it was fruitless. 

"Enough…" his voice was shaky but held some power as well. His brows were furrowed tightly. 

"Hiccup… Please, let me go." She pleaded softly. Hiccup's face softened and he released both her wrist and the knife. His eyes widened once he realized where he was and who was beside him. His gaze moved from the dagger on the floor, to Astrid's wrist that already started to show red marks, the first signs of a bruise. He gently took it and Astrid winced. 

"Astrid… I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-" he started, but Astrid didn't let him finish. She took her arm back, her other hand massaging the wrist. 

"It's fine." She said dryly. He stood up and she did the same. He grabbed his blanket and pillow and started limping towards the door, the quilt trailing behind him on the floor. 

"Where do you think you're going?" Astrid put her hands on her hips. He turned back to her, his gaze fixated solemnly on the floor. 

"I'm not staying here, Astrid. I already caused you pain. Who knows if I won't harm you further." He went to open the door when a hand stopped him. 

"Hiccup I'm _fine_ , okay?" she said sternly for the words to get to that thick skull of his. "You warned me and I said I want to help. So deal with it." The blonde finished by crossing her arms over her chest. Hiccup shook his head. 

"Sorry, but no." He tried to go out again, but she blocked his way. Astrid didn't know what possessed her to do this. She just couldn't stand that he was hurting. The girl swung her arms around his lean torso and buried her head in his chest. Hiccup stood there, too surprised to react. He dropped the blanket and the pillow, his arms finally moving to return the gesture hesitantly. Astrid could feel him shaking. He smelled like sea water and fish. Not the most pleasant smell out there, but Astrid honestly didn't care. 

"I want to help you." She whispered. The statement caused Hiccup to pull back abruptly. 

"Why?" he asked surprised. A frown started to form on his face. "Why would you want to help me? You've known me for barely a month. Don't you see it's hopeless?" His voice started to rise as another panic attack started. The girl didn't know what to do. Hiccup grabbed a fistful of his hair, his breathing quickened. "I'm just a screw-up Astrid! They're right – I _am_ useless, okay?!" Astrid could think of only one thing to do. Hiccup felt a stinging pain on his left cheek. After a few seconds it downed on him that Astrid had slapped him. He hung his head low, knowing he deserved it. 

"Because I care for you, you idiot." Astrid snapped. Hiccup looked at her with his mouth agape, speechless at the girl's words. 

"You do?" he was completely taken aback, as if the mere concept was simply crazy. Astrid nodded, nervous of how Hiccup reacted. She didn't want to scare him away, but the taller teen looked ready to bolt out of the room. She took a step closer and felt a pang in her chest when he took a step back. Was he rejecting her, or was it something else? 

"Astrid, please. I don't want to hurt you." 

"I can take care of myself." Was her confident response. "I managed to wake you up, didn't I?" Hiccup's eyes instantly fell on her wrist. Astrid sighed. This was getting nowhere. She came up to his side of the bed and kneeled to grab the dagger from the floor.

"I'm taking this." She announced. "Do you have any more hidden weapons?" When Hiccup shook his head, she went and put the knife in one of the drawers of the nightstand on her side of the bed. Her eyes felt heavy, as the tiredness finally caught up to her. Hiccup only stood there with his eyes wide. She came to him, kneeled to grab the blanket and the pillow, and put them back on the bed. She flopped on her side. Astrid looked at him, still standing there, and patted the bed with an expectant look on her face. Hiccup seemed to have woken up from his trance. 

"Astrid-" he started. 

"Hiccup, please." When he still had an uncertain look on his face, she sighed. "Look, if it happens again tonight then you can go. I'm not going to force you to stay. Just give it a second chance." 

The older Viking finally moved from the doors and, hesitantly, he limped to the bed. He settled himself as far away from her as possible and she ignored the tightness in her chest. He blew up the candle. It was dark again. Silence, their regular companion lately, settled over them once more. 

"You can come closer if you want." She shyly proposed. What was she saying? What was she _doing_? This was definitely out of character for her. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest and she was pretty sure that Hiccup could hear it too. "Maybe a closer contact would make you feel safer?" 

After a moment of hesitation, Hiccup moved a bit closer to her and she did the same, making them lay stiffly side by side. Astrid took his hand under the covers and was relieved when he didn't pull away. The close contact was making her nervous and happy at the same time, that was new for her. She was angry at herself for blurting out that she cared for him. Yes, it made him calmer, but now he probably thought she was being pushy. Or one of _those_ girls. She made a move to take her hand back, but Hiccup didn't let her, clasping their hands back together. 

"I care about you too. J-just so you know." His nasally voice cut through the silence surrounding them. He shifted his arm so that it was around her. Pleasantly surprised, Astrid decided to risk it and laid her head on his, still, slightly bony shoulder. The contact was new, but nice. Astrid felt some heaviness lift from her chest. With Hiccup beside her and the warmness coming from his body, she managed to fall asleep quickly. 

* * *

Astrid woke up the next day to the sound of a crash somewhere on the upper deck. She reluctantly opened her eyes and noticed she was alone in the cabin. Hiccup's side of the bed was empty, his clothes gone. The girl frowned. She wasn't able to say what time of the day it was, as there were no windows in the cabin, but judging by the voices upstairs, she would say it was already daytime. Did Hiccup leave her somehow during the night? His blanket and pillow were still on the bed, so she didn't think so. 

The door opened and someone tall and thin, she guessed Hiccup, walked in, trying to be as silent as he could. Which wasn't very quiet, as he managed to trip over the closet by the door. Whispered curses flew around while he tried to navigate through the dark room. Astrid bit her lip, amused. Yeah, definitely Hiccup. She decided to help him out a bit. 

"Hiccup, I'm awake." She said while trying to lit the candle. Astrid managed to do it on the second try and with the room being enlightened, she saw Hiccup with a tray of some food and a bag on his shoulder. She must've imagined it because she could swore she saw it moving. The eighteen-year old stood there, a bit abashed. He regained his posture and cleared his throat. 

"Right. Well… uhm, I brought you some breakfast." He said while hoisting up the tray with, what appeared to be, some kind of a bread. "It's bread from Bjargey. I tried to pick out the freshest, though it was hard since the whole ship crew had the same idea. A-Anyway, here you go. I didn't know what you'd like with it, so I took a few things to choose from." Hiccup awkwardly put the food on her bedpost and, seeing the girl's dumbfounded face, he rubbed his neck awkwardly. Astrid was really touched – no one had ever done something like that for her, even her parents. She smiled and reached for the food on the tray. 

"Thanks. You didn't have to." Hiccup returned the smile. 

"It's no problem, really. After what you did for me tonight…" he trailed off and sat on the bed's edge on the other side. He pulled the bag onto the bed… and took out a green Terrible Terror out of it. Astrid dropped the piece of bread she had in her hand and the Terror snatched it quickly, straightening its small wings. Astrid kept looking between Hiccup and the dragon. It took a moment for her, still a bit groggy, brain to register that there was a freaking _dragon_ on the bed. And it came from her husband's bag. She must still be dreaming. 

"Sharpshot don't!" Hiccup reprimanded the dragon, but it didn't really listen to him, too absorbed in the food close to it. Astrid put her breakfast away from dragon's reach and Hiccup grabbed the Terror. 

"Hiccup, may I ask why is there a _dragon_ here?" Hiccup's face went a bit red as he tried to scratch his neck again. The dragon, though, decided to wonder around and make himself comfortable on the boy's right shoulder, wrapping his long tail around Hiccup's left arm. 

"Astrid that's, uh, Sharpshot. He's a messenger dragon." Astrid raised an eyebrow. 

"A messenger dragon?" Hiccup nodded curtly and reached for the Terror's left hind leg. He untied a small string and took out a rolled piece of paper. Astrid's eyebrows travelled even higher. 

"Where did you get him from anyway?" 

"We use Terrible Terrors to communicate with each other. I went to a secluded part of the ship, by the warehouse, and he was waiting for me there." Hiccup shrugged, as if it was something completely normal, and unrolled the piece of paper. His brow furrowed as he read the message. Astrid, still hungry, went to take another piece of bread, careful not to attract the dragon's attention. 

"So… what does it say?" she said between bites. She noticed Hiccup's worried expression that turned neutral as soon as she spoke to him. He took the piece of paper and walked towards the candle. He lit it up and let it burn, careful not to set anything else on fire. 

"Nothing." He waved his hand, dismissing the girl. Hiccup returned back to his spot on the bed with Sharpshot still sitting on his shoulder. He took out a piece of paper and started writing something on it. What, she didn't know, as Hiccup of course left her in the dark. 

Again. 

"What are you writing about?" Astrid tried again. She already said she wanted to help. Hiccup could tell her what was happening at least. 

"Just some organization stuff. Nothing to worry about." He tried to shrug which turned out to be quite impossible with the small dragon on his shoulders. Astrid looked at the green Terrible Terror. It was cute, she supposed. She couldn't help but smile when Sharpshot decided that Hiccup's unruly hair would be a good snack to chew on. Hiccup tried to stop him by waving his hand around, but the dragon was pretty stubborn. The older teen finished his mysterious note, rolled it and strapped it to the reptile's leg. He gestured for the dragon to return to the bag and Sharpshot reluctantly obeyed. Hiccup slung the bag over his shoulder. 

"Want to come with me?" Astrid nodded and got up from the bed, only to realize she was still in her nightgown. 

"Sure. Just give me a second to dress myself." It was Hiccup's turn to nod. He left the cabin to give her some privacy. Astrid quickly changed her clothes and tied her hair into a loose bun on top of her head. She grabbed the remains of her breakfast, blew out the candle and left the room. Hiccup was waiting for her outside the door. Together, they climbed upstairs onto the main deck. The place was very busy, with lots of Vikings walking around and doing their jobs. Dangerous terrain for them. A stronger wave came and the boat swayed, making Hiccup cling to the wall, gripping it tightly. Astrid grabbed his hand. He redirected the death grip onto their joined hands, but she didn't mind. A bit more stable, Hiccup started going forward, passing by several Berkians which sent the pair weird glances. They were almost out of people's sight when the massive figure of Stoick the Vast appeared. For such a big person, he surely knew how to come unnoticed. He clamped one of his meaty hands on Hiccup's shoulder, which almost sent the already greenish teen flying to the ground. 

"Hiccup, I've been looking everywhere for ye!" At first when Hiccup told her that his father was oblivious to whatever his son felt or was doing, she felt like he was exaggerating. But now, noticing the obviously unnatural shade of Hiccup's face and Stoick's unaware one, she guessed it was true after all. The older teen's discomfort was _literally_ shown on his face. Oblivious to all that, the Berkian Chief continued. 

"Some men need help at the front side of the ship." 

"Can it wait? I just need a minute and-" Hiccup desperately tried to calm the small dragon in his bag, sending it a jab with his elbow. Fortunately for them, all this went unnoticed to the Chief. 

"No it can't, Hiccup. Go there now and ye'll have some time with yer wife later." He answered gruffly looking at their clamped hands. Both teens felt their faces heating up a bit at Stoick's intensive stare. A miserably looking Hiccup turned to Astrid and, with an apology in his eyes, he handed her the bag. She released his hand and took it hesitantly. Her husband quickly mouthed the words 'sorry' and went with his father. Astrid tried to go the route they had been going before without looking too suspicious. That turned out to be hard with a bag that was struggling with her. She let out a sigh of relief when she finally found a place without anyone being in a hearing or sight distance. 

Astrid opened the bag to release the dragon. What she didn't expect was for the Terror to instantly fly to her head. She had to fight the urge to shout, because it would attract someone's attention and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. Sharpshot decided to sit on her head while painfully stabbing its paws into it. The girl slowly pulled it out, destroying her bun in the process. The dragon seemed annoyed with her. 

"What? Don't look at me like that." She responded, a bit harshly. The Terror seemed disappointed that it wasn't Hiccup that opened the bag. She put the dragon on the edge of the ship. 

"Well? Go, get out of here." She tried to shoo him away, but the dragon remained where it was, looking at her. Astrid sighed annoyed. Sharpshot licked its eye and continued to stare. It seemed to be waiting for something. What, she didn't have a clue. The girl tried to pet the dragon, holding out her right hand. The Terrible Terror, pleased with it, started purring softly and Astrid smiled. Then she heard some noises coming from somewhere nearby. The person making it was coming closer. 

"Go! Now!" she whispered harshly to the dragon. Fortunately, it understood and took off in an instant. The Terror disappeared in the clouds just in time, as mere minute later Snotlout came out, muttering to himself. 

"… as if he was better than me. Ha! Yeah, right!" He obviously didn't notice that there was another person there. When he finally _did_ look up and saw he had company, he jumped surprised. His expression quickly turned to annoyed, though. 

"What are you doing here?" Snotlout crossed his muscular arms and narrowed his eyes. 

"Can't I be here?" she snapped back, probably harsher than he deserved. 

"Why don't you go back to your husband?" Snotlout spat out the last word like it was poison. Astrid scowled at the dark-haired teen. 

"What is your problem? Seriously." Snotlout uncrossed his arms and clenched his fists by his sides. 

" _My_ problem?" he asked her harshly. "My _problem_ is that I work my ass off for that village while _he_ " Snotlout's arm pointed to the rest of the ship behind him. "sits on his doing absolutely nothing. And who's going to be the Chief? Yeah, he is. He does nothing to improve the village's situation, constantly messing something up. He's not a Viking… He doesn't know what it takes to be one of _us_." The short Berkian lowered his voice as he glared at the blonde. "I thought that _you_ of all people would understand that." 

That hit the nail on the head. Because the girl could somewhat see where the dark-haired teen was coming from. If she didn't know Hiccup better, she'd have a similar opinion. A Viking's life was not an easy one. It required devotion, loyalty and a brave, strong-willed heart. And Hiccup… didn't _seem_ to have those traits. At least not at first glance. But she learned not to judge people by their appearance. She was past that. Plus, the last few weeks taught her that not everything was what it seemed. Astrid still couldn't believe that after so many years, livings side by side, Snotlout still saw only the worst in his cousin. He turned to her. 

"You like him, don't you? _Actually_ like him?" the shorter teen asked. Astrid looked at him with a raised eyebrow, not expecting such a question. Snotlout's face turned confused. "Why? He has nothing to offer." The Berkian teen looked as if he really couldn't process the fact that his cousin was able to do _anything_ right. 

"He's more than he appears to be at first sight. Maybe you just don't see it yet. " Her voice came out softer than she intended. As Snotlout was about to response, Hiccup came back, still pale in the face. He looked back and forth between Astrid and his cousin, confused. Astrid, though, felt relieved. She didn't really feel comfortable with this conversation. She felt a small smile making its way on her face and the girl went to grab the Chief's son's sweaty hand. She pecked him on the cheek. 

"Come on Babe." She led a surprised Hiccup back to the middle of the boat. 

"Babe?" Hiccup crocked out, looking at her with a weird expression on his face. Astrid couldn't tell if it was because of the name she called him a second ago, or just the sea was making him sick again. The girl didn't know why she had said that, it kind of rolled of her tongue by itself. Some of the sailors were giving her a weird look and Astrid's hands flew to her ruined hair. She quickly tied her hair, knowing how it looked and what it could mean for them. Especially since she was a newly married woman. Hiccup looked at her too. 

"Uhm, sorry." Astrid winced slightly as they sat on one of the wooden benches. She quickly pointed to the leather bag in which the dragon was before. After Hiccup nodded in realization, she grabbed his hand. 

"What did he say to you?" Hiccup furrowed his brow in worry. 

"He… nothing. He doesn't seem to believe in you much…" Her voice trailed off at the end. Hiccup snorted at that, obviously finding the situation quite amusing. 

"He has every reason to think what he does. He has known me his whole life." 

"He doesn't _know_ you, not really…" Hiccup stared at the wooden floor and detached his hand from hers. 

"Astrid, you don't know me either. We've known each other for a month only. There is a side of me I'm not proud of, the one I don't necessarily want you to see, though you have – elements of it." She was aware of that but she _wanted_ to know more. He fascinated her, that wasn't something she was used to. He was a mystery. Astrid didn't really like those but _Hiccup_ was special. He was a mystery she wanted to know more about, to discover and to understand. 

"The side that pinned me to the tree?" she asked, glancing up at him. He turned his head towards her. 

"The one that got scars." 

**A/N:**

 **Hope you liked it. :)**

 **Guest** **: I'm glad you found the feelings and thoughts captured well. I wanted to bring out Hiccup's awkwardness. He may be a Dragon Master but beneath that mask he's still him, at least mostly. More awkwardness in this chapter, heh. :D What I really adore in Hiccup's and Astrid's relationship, is that they aren't only a couple. They are best friends, supporters, ready to do anything for him/her. They trust each other completely and that's what I want to achieve in the long run. They** _ **need**_ **each other. Your reviews always warm my heart. Thank you for the support and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :D**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	13. The Enemies

**Hello there peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Warning: Violence up ahead!**

 **There's a very important note at the end of the chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 13**

 **The one with enemies**

Astrid was bored. 

It was only the fourth day on the ship, but Astrid already didn't have much to do with herself. When she was with Hiccup, they talked and spent some time getting to know each other better. Sometimes Fishlegs joined the couple and they had a pretty good time together. Astrid was proud of herself, as Hiccup hadn't had a serious accident since the first night. He still had nightmares, sometimes even two times a night, from which he woke up lost and surprisingly defensive more than a few times. But, as he also admitted, Astrid's close presence made him a bit calmer. He never thought that human contact would be the thing that made him forget, even if a little bit. With the blonde girl, he didn't suffer from the seasickness and paranoia as much as he did before. 

Unfortunately, Stoick made a habit of stealing Hiccup from her. If it wasn't helping the other sailors with moving things, the Berk's Chief needed his son to help with something else. It usually left Astrid alone, not quite sure what to do then. There were no trees to throw your axe at, unfortunately. The lack of training would come back and bite her in the ass, she was sure of that. Astrid often stayed by the rail and observed the waves. It always got boring after a while, though. The girl sighed as yet another wave crushed into the Viking ship. 

"Hey." Astrid turned to see Fishlegs standing behind her. The more she knew about the Berkian boy, the more she liked him. Even though he looked like a typical Viking, he was shy and his smarts were what made him unique. It was nothing like she liked Hiccup, though. It was more on a brother-sister basis. 

"Hi." She smiled at him and he gradually returned the gesture. The husky Viking came closer, so that he was standing on her right side, and looked over the sea ahead. The only thing visible was the blue water, running for miles, miles ahead. There was no land anywhere. The wind was quite strong and the flag with Berkian's crest was violently fluttering in the wind. 

"How do you do it?" Fishlegs asked after a beat. Astrid raised an eyebrow and looked at the teen confused. 

"He's never been so calm on a ship. At least for the last two years. So what do you do?" Astrid felt rush coming to her cheeks. 

"I… keep him company." The Berkian raised an eyebrow of his own. For some reason, she didn't want Fishlegs to know that in reality they just cuddled in bed or held hands. Somehow it didn't sound Viking-ly. Astrid herself was surprised by her behavior. She decided that redirecting the topic a little bit would be a good idea. Maybe she could get some answers in the process. 

"Why does he get like that?" When Fishlegs frowned and pursed his lips tightly, she added. "Look, I need to know. I want to help him." The taller Viking sighed, defeated. He looked around to make sure no one was around, or at least that no one would be able to hear them, and begun in a quiet voice. 

"It started two years ago. He was captured by D- _someone bad_. We searched for him everywhere, but we couldn't find him. Then, after three months, he returned with some of the slaves that were in hostage too, apparently. Hiccup came back beaten up, bloodied and half a leg short. He changed after that. He became very distant and it took nearly a month for him to talk to anyone. He still refuses to take of his shirt for some reason. No one knows what happened during those three months, but there's a big suspicion he had been tortured. It was really hard to cover up this long absence." Fishlegs ended with a whisper. Astrid was shocked to say the least. That explained the scars on Hiccup's torso and back. The scars that Fishlegs didn't know about, apparently. Once again Astrid wondered what could they had done to Hiccup to make him act like that. Hiccup was constantly bullied in his hometown and, to add to that, he had been probably beaten up and tortured, locked in some kind of a cage for three months or so. He didn't deserve all that pain… 

"Being who he is now cost him a lot. Mentally and physically." Astrid looked at her hands. 

"Who did this to him?" She knew Fishlegs knew. He almost slipped. The husky boy's eyes widened noticeably. 

"I-I can't tell you that Astrid. I'm not allowed to." Fishlegs swallowed hard. "There's more to what we do than just rescuing. It's all a part of a bigger thing." It was the second time she heard that. The first time Hiccup mentioned that it was all a part of a bigger plan, was when she found him after the unfortunate family dinner. Astrid really wanted to know what was that they were planning. It had to do something with finally bringing peace between Vikings and dragons. Whoever captured Hiccup, it was a human. A human that probably hated the idea of peace so much, he had to torture Hiccup to show his dominance. 

Some people acted more inhumane than the most vicious dragons. 

"I'm glad you picked our side." Fishlegs's voice cut through her thoughts. "But I have to warn you that its's dangerous. After joining us, there's no way back. You're risking losing your family. Not to mention your life. I want you to be aware of that." He looked at her softly. She couldn't imagine Fishlegs, the shiest Viking she had ever met, on a back of a dragon, attacking a village. Then again, she couldn't really picture Hiccup doing it either. It seemed more like reality with him, though, because she already saw his Night Fury, even flown on it. Astrid was well aware of the risks she was taking by joining that side. She loved her family, cared about it more than anything else, but if she had a chance in making the Barbaric Archipelago, in making _Bjargey_ safer, then she would take it any day. Fishlegs' eyes fell on her slightly bruised wirst and Astrid quickly hid it from his gaze. The boy cleared his throat. 

"So… h-how are things between you too anyway?" The Berkian boy desperately tried to change the topic. If Astrid really wanted to know more, she was sure she wouldn't have much problem with it. Fishlegs was easily intimidated. But the girl knew that all would fall in place in time. She declared she wanted to help – they would have to tell her what she was fighting against sooner or later. She really preferred the former one. Astrid figured that the ship full of Berkians would not be a good place to try intimidating Fishlegs or making him say more, anyway. That didn't mean, however, that the change of topic didn't make her uncomfortable. 

"It's… it's fine." She responded uncertainly. It was going good, wasn't it? She found a friend in Hiccup, one she could talk to and felt some kind of an affection for. Their relationship seemed to be going in the right direction. Though the matter of Hiccup's secret identity was still worrying. She couldn't get rid of the fear that he was _still_ lying to her. She wanted to trust him, believe in what he said, but… it was not always easy. Especially since the things that he told her were not things that could be ignored or omitted. It were earth-shattering kind of revelations. Astrid was surprised she took it so well. Maybe the enormity of the situation hadn't dawned on her yet. Shaking her head, the girl decided on having a revenge on Fishlegs. 

"Speaking of relationships, has someone caught your eye?" she nudged the husky boy in the arm. Fishlegs's face was an answer itself and Astrid couldn't help but let out a small laugh. The blond boy went completely red and his green eyes were the size of plates. 

"Oh, someone has but he _tries_ to act oblivious." Astrid immediately recognized the nasally voice of her husband and turned around to grin at him. The smile faltered when she saw him. He didn't look well. His face was pale and he had dark bangs under his eyes. There still was a small smile lingering on his lips, though. The blond boy's face went even redder and the couple chuckled. They spent the rest of the day together. Fishlegs and Hiccup sat down to play the King's Table, a game that was created to sharpen Vikings minds. Even though the husky boy had a wider knowledge, it was Hiccup's logical reasoning that won. Astrid already witnessed a few times the two friends played the board game and it was always the auburn-haired teen that claimed victory. He was quiet and thought over his every move making him a hard rival. Soon enough, the night came and after the teens ate, they went to their respective cabins. During the last few days, the awkwardness between the married couple lessened a bit. The two of them always ended up sleeping close to each other and it wasn't making them as uncomfortable as it was at the beginning. Astrid changed into her nightgown and placed herself by Hiccup's side as usual. She fell asleep easily, the soft snores by her side making her calm. 

* * *

Astrid was woken up by someone calling her name. She tried to shoo the person away by waving her hand around, but it didn't really help. The voice only got louder and more nagging. 

" Gunnar, go away." She slurred. Her hand touched something rough and she tried to swat it away harshly. Suddenly, she snapped her eyes open as she came to the realization that Gunnar was miles away and that she was currently on a ship to Berk. Her eyes instantly fell on a face that she recognized as her husband's. He was massaging his chin slightly and Astrid felt a bit guilty. It all vanished, though, as she noted that he looked worried. 

"What-" she yawned, bringing her hand to her mouth. " What's going on?" 

"I think we're under attack." Hiccup breathed out. Astrid's eyes widened. 

"What?!" she quickly got of the bed. "Who?" Hiccup ran a hand through his hair. 

"I don't know." He kneeled and took out a weird axe from under the bed. It was made from three very sharp pieces of metal pinned together. The hand of the axe was made of it as well. It looked quite deadly. That little son of a- He claimed that he had no more weapons there. "Stay here." He went to exit the room. Shouts were heard from the upper deck. Astrid clenched her fists by her sides. 

"What? No! I'm going with you!" Astrid grabbed her clothes and was about to change when she realized Hiccup was still in the room. 

"Astrid, you're staying here. No but's." He took out a piece of a black material and tied it over half of his face, so that his mouth, chin and nose were covered. He casted one, last look at the blonde and took off, leaving Astrid alone. _If he thinks I'm just going to stay here, he has another thing coming._ With that thought, she quickly dressed herself and took out her own, traditional, double-headed axe. Astrid heard something breaking near the cabin and she decided to take action. The girl swung the door open. She was instantly met with a burly Viking that was most definitely not from Berk. She quickly recognized the crest on the man's forearm as the Outcasts'. Two rows of yellow, ugly teeth were formed into a smirk that sent shivers down her spine. 

"What do we 'ave 'ere? Ye shouldn't be all alone 'ere lassie." He lowered his face closer to hers. Astrid gagged, as the odor coming from the Viking hit her. He reached to grab her chin, but she took a step back and kicked him. The man stumbled a bit, surprised. He didn't expect a direct attack. Astrid took out her axe and swung furiously at the man. The Outcast took out a weapon of his own – a rusty, metal sword- and blocked the attack. Unfortunately for her, the older man was stronger than her, his Viking size coming in handy. Since Astrid started training with her axe, she knew that most Vikings had the advantage of their sheer strength. That was why she herself relied on agility and speed. Astrid easily dodged another attack and tried to swing once again. She had never taken a life, at least a human one, but she couldn't think about it now. The blade of her axe grazed the Outcast's right cheek quite deeply. The man took a step back and, just when she thought she was in the winning position, a pair of meaty hands grabbed her from behind. Her previous attacker smirked up at her. It was sickening. 

"I see you 'ave some attitude. Good." She tried to pull herself free, but the second Viking, another Outcast, was holding her tightly. Her axe laid on the floor. The first Outcast wiped of some of the blood and followed her gaze. He used his leg to knock the weapon further into the dark corridor, so that it was out of her reach. Astrid scowled and kicked the man holding her hard in the leg. He didn't react, though. 

"Ye must be the bride." The first Outcast took a step closer and taking the advantage of Astrid's immobility, tucked a loose strand of her blond hair behind her ear. Astrid had to, once again, fight the urge to vomit. 

"Mph." She spit on the man's face while sending him a hateful gaze. The Outcast only laughed, not moved in the slightest. 

" I wonder… 'ow much do ye think she'd be worth, Bard?" He asked, taking her chin in his sweaty and dirty hand. She tried to wrench herself out, but it was pointless. Astrid heard some sniggering behind her. Bard was having a good time apparently. Good for him, then. Suddenly, a green mist appeared. Astrid thought it resembled Hideous Zippleback's gas. She wasn't the only one that noticed it, because the Outcast scowled at the unknown fog. He tried to walk away from it, but it was impossible - it was moving too fast. Quickly, the mist covered their feet. Bard released Astrid and tried to fight with it himself. It was to no avail, though. Suddenly the first Viking man was struck by something in the back of his head. He stumbled a bit and turned around in confusion. Astrid looked around herself in panic. She didn't know what the mist was, but she was pretty sure that the Outcasts had nothing to do with it. 

A pair of hands grabbed her from behind. Unlike the last time, they weren't as meaty or sweaty and the grip on her was loose. She tried to see who was holding her, but the mist was making it impossible. After a few seconds, the green fog descended and she came face to face with Hiccup. A not very pleased Hiccup. 

"I told you to stay inside." He barked. The unusual hostility and coldness took her aback slightly. Astrid felt a rush of anger. 

"And do what?! They would've barged in anyway!" She clenched her fists angrily. "Besides, you can't tell me what to do!" Hiccup's face softened a bit but Astrid didn't notice, too angry with him. When the whole idea of marriage appeared, this was what she was afraid of. Her husband treating her like an object or an animal that he could control. Well, Astrid wasn't going to let that happen. She could think for herself, she could protect herself. Maybe Hiccup couldn't see it, but she would show him, alright. The blonde was about to storm away to find some kind of a suitable weapon when she was stopped by Hiccup. 

"Astrid, wait." Said girl scowled, but stayed where she was. "I'm sorry. I just…. I lost too many people I cared about. I didn't want you to get hurt too." He finished in a quiet and a bit defeated tone. Astrid could see he was honest. She didn't want to forgive him right away, but there was something about him that disabled her to stay mad at him for too long. Honestly, what was going on with her lately? Maybe it was because he showed he actually cared for her? That he was protective of her? Astrid never liked the idea of a boy protecting her – for her it seemed unnecessary, a waste of time and breath. But somehow she _did_ feel safer when Hiccup was around – ha gave her comfort. Not that she would ever admit that. It was all weird, different and she would have to think it all through. Not now though because, well, they were _kind of_ under attack. 

"Hiccup, I lost people I cared for too." Oh, how she knew. The loss of uncle Finn hit her hard and she still missed him dearly. But with the dragon raids there probably wasn't a family that didn't lose anyone. How many times had she seen devastated families, her father and other Vikings firing up the funeral pyre of another tribe member? That was the main reason she agreed to join their side - she couldn't stand looking at all this loss anymore. Astrid sighed. "But it doesn't mean you can tell me to stay away. I can protect myself – I'm not hopeless." 

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." He went to say something else, but a loud crash interrupted him. It seemed to had come from a few feet away. Another loud boom could be heard, this time coming from the upstairs. The couple seemed to have remembered what was happening and why they were arguing in the first place. The two of them looked at each other, a silent agreement in their eyes. Hiccup took out a middle-sized sword and handed it to Astrid. 

"Here. Go upstairs – it'll be safer there. I'll stay here." The girl was hesitant, but took the weapon, nodded to the older teen and went to the ladder that would lead her onto the upper deck. She turned to cast one, last look at Hiccup, but he had already disappeared into the dark corridor. For a second Astrid wondered why Hiccup didn't want to go upstairs with her, but she guessed that if he was hiding his fighting skills, it'd be safer there. Plus, there could be someone trapped in one of the rooms. 

Astrid took a deep breath and got onto the main deck. It was chaos. That was the only word she could use to describe the situation there. The Outcasts and Berkians clashed together. It was hard to tell who is who, especially for her as she didn't really know the Berkians from the ship that much. In the moonlight, the blonde saw Stoick the Vast and Gobber the Belch fighting off the Outcasts. One of them came running towards her and she almost lost her head. Fortunately for her, the sword she got from Hiccup was strong and didn't break when it clashed with the man's heavy axe. It seemed that the Berkians were on the winning position, though. Some of the Outcasts (she supposed those were Outcasts) were backing up towards their ship. Astrid kicked her attacker hard in the stomach and the man stumbled backwards. She heard a yelp from behind her and, when she turned around, she saw a knocked out Outcast and Snotlout with his hammer raised above his head. 

"Retreat!" A raspy and loud voice echoed throughout the ship. The Outcasts were retreating! She saw the two men that attacked her earlier, running, or rather limping out from the second floor. Fishlegs, of all people, followed them not long after. The Outcasts were beaten up quite badly and Astrid's thoughts flew to Hiccup instantly. Was he alright? Was he badly injured? One of her previous attackers, this 'Bard' someone, whispered something to the biggest Outcast, probably their Chief. What was his name? Ah, Alvin the Treacherous, of course. His massive, dark beard and a not so pleasant face made him quite recognizable among the Vikings. The invaders bordered their ship. 

"Before we go, let me tell ya something Stoick." Alvin's voice boomed through the night. She felt a tap on the shoulder and saw Hiccup standing beside her, the cloth that covered his mouth earlier, gone. She tried to search for any injuries, but the only thing she spotted was a cut on his left eyebrow. Relieved, the blonde came back to the current situation. She saw Stoick the Vast standing on the deck, a hammer in his hand and a visible scowl on his face. She turned her head back towards the Outcasts' Chief. Alvin looked directly at Hiccup and Astrid while he spoke the next words. 

"Ya have a traitor on your ship, Stoick." Alvin lowered his voice a bit. " One of _them_." The Outcast Chief smirked smugly and while the Berkians were frozen stiff, the enemies' ship slowly sailed away. Astrid looked at Hiccup and saw him swallowing hard. Hesitantly, she grabbed his hand. Berkians started whispering to each other, some of them looking at the newly married couple suspiciously. Snotlout sent her a particularly distrustful glare. 

"They don't know. They shouldn't even suspect you." Astrid said quickly, giving his hand a squeeze. Hiccup shook his head and looked at her. 

" You're right. They are not going to suspect _me_." He sighed. " But they may suspect you." Astrid's eyes widened. Hiccup was right. If they would suspect someone - it would be her. They knew Fishlegs and they _thought_ they knew Hiccup but they didn't know her. She was Hiccup's wife and that was all they were informed of. _Just great…_

"How did they even know?" Hiccup half-shrugged. 

"They might've recognized me from when we rescued dragons from Outcast Island." They were quiet after that. The Berkians were in luck – the ship didn't sustain any big damage and they could continue their sail towards their home island. The Vikings that weren't needed for steering the ship or patrolling the seas went back to their cabins to catch up on some sleep. The teens, Fishlegs, Hiccup and Astrid, decided to do the same. Under the watchful eye of Stoick the Vast, the couple returned to their room. On the way there, Astrid was relieved to find her axe laying on the wooden floor. They didn't really talk much before going to sleep, both of them having a lot on their minds. Astrid didn't know what would happen now. Would the Berkians just ignore what Alvin said, see it as a mere provocation, or would they observe her every move to see if she was the said traitor? They didn't have any proof, right? Hiccup's words swam through her head the whole night. 

" _But they may suspect you."_

 **A/N:**

 **Don't get your skivvies in a bunch. ;) I'm not abandoning this story (know that I am never planning on doing that) BUT there will be changes in the schedule. As you know, I've been posting twice a week – on Tuesdays and Fridays. Since I have been really busy lately, and I will continue being bus** _ **ier**_ **for some time, I will post ONCE a week, most probably on Fridays. It will give me more time to edit it properly and give you the best quality I can. I will also try to rewrite the earlier chapters – nothing major, no changes in the plot or anything like that. Those will be some grammar and punctuation fixes; some details that don't affect the story as a whole as well. After I do that, I will tell you what exactly has been changed, though I think that those will be some really small things. I am doing all that to improve the story. I am still new to writing and this is all a learning process. :D**

 **Whew… that was a lot. Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Guest:** **Thank you for the review! :D I'm so happy that you liked the Snotlout scene. I wanted to show some of** _ **his**_ **thoughts, show that he's not like that just because. Oh yeah, twists up ahead. I would like to believe that, anyway.** **I hope you enjoyed some ass-kicking Astrid. ;)**

 **Alicia** **: I'm really glad to hear that. :D It's always great to hear that someone wants to read more of your work. Here you are. I really hope you enjoyed it just as much. ;)**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	14. The New Beginning

**Hello!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Let the show begin!**

 **CHAPTER 14**

 **The one with new beginnings.**

Astrid was relieved. 

When she saw the Isle of Berk coming into the view on the seventh day on the ship, she felt relief. Since the Outcast attack, the atmosphere on the ship was tenser, she could feel it. Most of the Vikings didn't believe a word that Alvin said, he was an Outcast and he wasn't called Treacherous for no reason. As soon as the initial shock had wore off, the Vikings came back to their senses. Some Berkians looked at her a bit differently, though. It wasn't that noticeable but she was aware of the subtle glances, sometimes observing, judging, her. Astrid tried not to think about it and occupied herself with talking to Hiccup and Fishlegs, or even playing King's Table with them. The girl wasn't half bad at it, as it turned out. She noticed that the two teens were a bit tenser as well (if Hiccup could get any tenser, that is). So she wasn't the only one that at the land spotted on the horizon. 

Berk was different from Bjargey in so many ways. First of all, it was bigger. It was painfully obvious even from the ship. From what she gathered back home, the number of Berkians was two, or even three, times bigger than the number of Bjargey people. Second big difference was that Berk had a lot of forests. They had a quite big forest in Bjargey, but it was nothing compared to the thick woods in Berk. Bjargey, as the name suggested, was mainly a mountainous island, though it still had some flat area for farms to be held. She would have to ask Hiccup to show her around the forest. It always felt like a perfect place to get her mind off things that weren't particularly pleasant. The village itself looked nice. The houses reminded her of home, as the style was very similar. The Great Hall towered noticeably over other buildings and, even from the distance, Astrid could see two huge, stone figures guarding the entrance. The arrival of the ship caused a huge crowd of people to gather at the docks. Young and old, tall and short, women and men. Suddenly Astrid felt nervous. They all came here to greet their Chief and to see _her_. Their future Chieftess. Hiccup found her and grabbed her hand cautiously. He tried to smile to reassure her, but he looked quite nervous himself. 

The blonde girl dressed herself in one of the finer dresses this morning. She wanted to look as presentable as she could. The girl braided her hair tightly and tied it into a bun on top of her head. She felt that she needed to make a really good first impression. Hiccup also dressed himself nicely and even tried to tame his hair. Not that it really worked out but he tried at least. The inevitable came – the ship docked. Stoick the Vast, as the village's Chief, was the first to leave it. The crowd cheered when they saw him. It was obvious that the Berkians respected their leader a lot. 

"Fellow Berkians!" his voice boomed and the villagers quietened. "As ye know, Bjargey's Chief offered his daughter's hand in marriage to renew our alliance. Welcome Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third and his wife Astrid 'Fearless' Hofferson!" The Berkians turned their heads towards the ship, everyone wanted to see the mysterious 'Astrid' girl. Hiccup offered the said girl his arm, which the blonde linked with hers. Astrid took a deep breath and, together, they moved forward onto the docks. People cheered when they saw her. It was weird and uncomfortable. All of them were staring at her, as if they wanted to look right into her soul. Once they stopped by Hiccup's father, she felt calmer. The rest of the Vikings, that were on the ship, were taking out the rest of the supplies and empty barrels. People were talking to each other loudly and she noticed some of them pointing at her. 

"Hiccup, go and show yer wife yer new house. She must be tired after the journey." Stoick the Vast said absently. Hiccup nodded wordlessly and took Astrid by the hand. The girl didn't object – the quicker she disappeared from the villagers' intensive stares, the better. She vaguely heard Stoick still talking. The Berkians backed away to make some room for the couple. She saw some pitying glances sent her way. 

"Poor girl…" 

"…marry _him_ …" 

Hiccup's face hardened visibly. Astrid tried to comfort him and squeezed his hand. She had really hoped that Hiccup was exaggerating when he told her about the village's attitude towards him. It seemed he didn't. Astrid couldn't possibly imagine living in a village that saw only useless in you. It had to be horrible for him. The blonde promised herself to not make the same mistake. He couldn't reveal his fighting skills, but she had no problem with showing those Berkians how well she could aim with a knife. 

"And to think that she could have brought back the Hofferson's honor. Now…" 

Astrid clenched her jaw tightly and quickened her pace, dragging Hiccup along. She held her head high, pretending to ignore the comments, but once her family's honor had been mentioned, it got harder. Surely marrying the 'worst Viking ever seen' could not be viewed all that positively for her reputation. But it didn't matter right now, her name could suffer a bit if it meant that her village would be safer. The Berkian army's help could be essential and could save lives if anything happened. She tried redirecting her focus onto something else. As they walked through the village, Astrid couldn't help but admire Hiccup's hometown. One place she really liked was the plaza, the heart of the village. A lot more spatial than the one on Bjargey with tall, wooden torches surrounding it. They turned left from there. There were no more people around there, all of them stayed at the docks to listen to their Chief, and Astrid felt herself breathing out a sigh of relief. Hiccup led her towards a medium-sized house on a small hill. The taller teen opened the wooden door and gestured for her to come in. 

The house looked really nice. The main room was quite big, bigger than hers back on Bjargey anyway. The pit used for cooking was placed in the middle and a wooden bench, covered with some sheepskin, was on the right side. The walls were completely bare except for one, beautifully woven, tapestry showing some battle scene. At least it looked like one. It hung on the back wall and it covered quite a big part of it. Astrid was sure that, in time, the house would look more _alive_. The ceiling was quite high and there was a window placed in a way that the rest of the village could be seen. There were two doors. One of them was open and she saw that it lead to a small storage. The other was closed. She wordlessly crossed the big room. Astrid heard Hiccup following, his uneven steps recognizable for her by now. 

After the girl opened the wooden door, she saw a bed, _their_ bed. There was a closet, a locked chest and a window, beside which a table was placed. Some loose sheets of paper were scattered on the wooden surface and Hiccup quickly made a move to collect them. The room looked nice, but Astrid felt like it was lifeless. She supposed that as they progress living here, it'd be better. It would feel more alive. 

…she was getting a bit ahead of herself, wasn't she? 

"Do you like it?" Astrid turned to see Hiccup standing shyly by the door. The papers in his hands were crumpled but he didn't seem to care, looking at her with hope. His big eyes reminded her of those of a child sometimes. She smiled. 

"Yeah, it… it's great." Hiccup sent her a small, crooked smile and repositioned the papers in his hands. 

"I already got my things brought here but I left half of the space for you to organize yourself." He pointed the closet with his thumb, almost dropping a sheet of paper in the process. She heard a knock on the front door and Hiccup went to answer it almost immediately. Astrid looked around. She walked up to the bed and grazed her fingers over the carvings. They were done very well, every spiral carved in perfectly. It must've been a really time-consuming task. A small bird chirped from the window and Astrid snapped her head upwards. A soft breeze hit her face and she closed her eyes. In all this turmoil it was hard to find a quiet moment. 

"Astrid? Are you- are you okay?" Hiccup's confused voice brought her back to reality. She snapped her eyes open and turned to her husband. Hiccup was standing in the doorway with a bag draped over his shoulder. 

"They brought your things." He said and put the bag on the bed. Astrid sat beside it and looked through it. 

"I'll give you some privacy." He said awkwardly and exited the room, closing the door. Astrid was glad Hiccup decided to leave her. She had some personal stuff in the bag, things she didn't necessarily need him to see. She started putting the clothes she brought with herself into the small, wooden closet. Suddenly she felt the back wall moving. Astrid frowned. She put her hand against the back wall and it moved again. The girl listened and when she didn't hear Hiccup coming back, she quickly took out the clothes that were put there. Carefully, she moved the thin, wooden wall away. What she saw was not something she expected. There was a cubicle, full of weapons, armor and other stuff as well. Astrid took out some kind of a shoulder- guard. It was made from several pieces of metal pinned together. The metal was black, shiny and surprisingly light. It had a row of small spines going from one side to the other. She turned it in her hands. On the other side there was a symbol. Astrid furrowed her brows – she had seen it somewhere before. Then she remembered. The tattoo on Hiccup's right arm. Was this _their_ symbol then? 

"I see you found my stuff." Astrid almost dropped the shoulder-guards. She turned to see her husband. 

"Hiccup! I didn't hear you coming in." She answered embarrassed. She looked at the piece of armor in her hands and quickly put it back into the cubicle. 

"Yeah, well, I was going to check the storage but I heard some really loud noises coming from here – like someone was moving some kind of furniture – so I went to check if everything is alright… and then I see this." He gestured to the pile of clothes laying on the floor near the wooden wall from the closet. 

"I-I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to –" Astrid tried, but Hiccup cut her off with a wave of his hand. 

"It's fine." He went to pick up some clothes from the floor. "You know, I actually tried to fold my clothes nicely." He smirked as he showed her one of his shirts that was previously in the closet, now wrinkled and crumpled. Astrid face went red from embarrassment. She turned her head away from him, focusing on the closet again. 

"So, it's your weapon stack?" she tried to change the topic somehow. 

"I have to have it somewhere." The taller teen shrugged. It came to her that if he hid his weapons in such an obvious place, he was expecting her to find it sooner or later. She was supposed to _know_ by the time they arrived at Berk. _She was important_ , as Hiccup said. She was supposed to find out, to get involved. It worked, didn't it? He sat beside her on the floor and started folding the clothes again. Astrid, shaking her thoughts off, took some of her clothes and began to organize them as well. The blonde didn't bring much with her. As a new wife, she couldn't wear her old clothes. The girl was supposed to receive some from the villagers. Even though Astrid wasn't very talented with all of those domestic skills, she was able to fold clothes. That couldn't be said for Hiccup. He tried, he really did, but it always came out askew. It was cute when he tried to focus on the task, sticking his tongue out, and every time he failed to fold them correctly. Astrid couldn't help but let out a giggle. As she realized that she just _giggled_ , the girl clamped a hand over her mouth. 

"What? Now you're laughing at me?" he asked with some humor in his voice. 

"You can't fold clothes." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Hiccup rolled his eyes playfully. 

"You, M'lady, can't appreciate art." He pointed an accusative finger towards her and she couldn't hold back anymore. They laughed together and it felt so good. She didn't laugh often, nor did she goof off with anyone. When they calmed down a bit, they noticed how close they were to each other. She didn't know who leaned first but it didn't matter. Hiccup cupped her cheek and kissed harder. She brought one of her hands to his soft hair and then… there was a knock on the door. It was Fishlegs, judging by the voice. 

"Hey, you guys, I don't want to interrupt or anything, but the welcoming feast is starting soon, so, uh…." He yelled through the front door. The two teens pulled away, disappointed. Hiccup sighed and stood up. 

"Come on. We have to move the wall back into its place." Together, they put it back, folded (or in Hiccup's case did something similar to folding) the remaining clothes and laid them back in the closet. Astrid fixed her hair a bit and they were ready to go to the feast. Neither of them were really looking forward to it, but they couldn't miss it – they _were_ the guests of honor after all. And so they went. 

* * *

Three days had passed since their arrival and things were getting more stable. At least it would seem so. The feast turned out to be quite nice. At first some Berkian elders came to congratulate the two of them on their marriage, some of them didn't really hide the dislike for her husband, but Astrid tried to ignore it. With a fake smile plastered on her face, she thanked them for their congratulations. The rest of the evening was spent in a more enjoyable way. She and Hiccup talked throughout the feast, as if they were the only ones there. Somewhere in the beginning, Hiccup's hand found hers and it didn't really leave till the end. Astrid had no objections there – she even laid their joined hands on the table, so they were in the view. She hoped it would scare away all the pitying glances. The girl wanted to show she wasn't ashamed to be married to him. She saw no reason to. 

She was happy to come back to her new 'home', though. Astrid was really tired after seven days of sailing on the ship and she could see Hiccup felt the same. The distance between them in the bed was a bit bigger, but somehow during the night they ended up close to each other anyway. Since they came back, Hiccup hadn't had a nightmare, or at least she didn't recall any. What irritated her, though, were Hiccup's regular disappearances. Even Fishlegs didn't know where he went. She tried to confront him about it, but he was being very secretive about the whole thing. The girl became quite bored to be honest. They were supposed to celebrate as a newlywed couple, yet Hiccup disappeared for at least a few hours every day. The walks through the village were quite pleasant but how many times can you pass the same buildings and people? Astrid decided not to waste any more time and go look for some kind of a training ground. Determined, she grabbed her axe and left. 

The blonde teen entered the forest. She was lucky because the woods were starting off just behind their house. Astrid was careful not to wander off to far and to remember where she went. Soon, she came across a small river that she had to jump over. The girl took a few steps back and took a run-up… only to find herself high in the air. 

"AAAAAhhhh!" she yelled, as she clung to the thing that was carrying her. Wait… what _was_ carrying her? The teen looked up to see a black dragon above. A familiar dragon, to add to that. Astrid felt a rush of anger. 

" _Hicuuuup_! Get me _down_!" the girl shouted, trying to be heard over the wind. Suddenly, she was swung into the air. She didn't even have time to panic, because, no second later. she landed on Toothless' back. Astrid clung to Hiccup for her dear life, her heart beating furiously in her chest. When she calmed down slightly, the girl punched him in the arm. _Hard_. It might not have been the smartest thing to do, as Hiccup was wearing full-body armor, mostly made of metal. 

"What the heck?!" Astrid exclaimed furiously, rubbing her hand. "You almost killed me!" 

"Everything was under control, Astrid." He stated calmly. Astrid was about to give him a peace of her mind about how much of it 'was under control', but he continued. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Astrid just humphed in response. She tried to stay angry at him but, as the Night Fury leveled out and she could finally enjoy the flight, she felt all the negative feelings melting away. Berk quickly vanished from sight and they were flying over the open sea. The girl was amazed when she saw some Scouldrons and Thunderdrums swimming beneath them. The dragons looked so… majestic. 

That was not something she ever expected to say or think about dragons. 

"I thought that Toothless stayed at Bjargey." Astrid patted the black dragon's side. The Night Fury let out a rumble. 

"Uh, yeah. Someone helped me get him to Berk." The girl raised an eyebrow but did not question it any further. It wasn't long before she spotted a small island. It seemed to be their destination because the dragon started descending. The familiar feeling of her throat tightening came once again and Astrid hugged Hiccup closer. The dragon neared some kind of a valley and they landed. Still a bit wobbly, Astrid dismounted Toothless with some help from Hiccup. 

The valley was beautiful. There was a forest surrounding it, with some sunlight let in and creating a soft glow. The blonde looked around and was surprised to see a familiar face. Oili was standing by a middle-sized boulder. There were two dragons standing beside her. One of them she quickly recognized as the Deadly Nadder from the ring. The bird-like dragon squawked happily at the sight of her and Astrid gladly patted the Nadder. The other dragon, however, she didn't recognize. She had never seen anything like it, not in the Bjargey's Book of Dragons, not in real life. The creature was quite big, bigger than Toothless anyway. It had a massive pair of wings. The dragon was brown with a lighter underbelly but, instead of scales, it had… fur? Was that even possible? The creature was looking at her with its big, velvet eyes. 

"Hi." Oili said, cutting of the older girl's train of thoughts. 

"Hey." The blonde smiled and scratched the blue Nadder under its chin. The dragon, very pleased, licked the Viking girl on the cheek. It was a bit gross, Astrid wasn't going to hide that. She turned her head when she heard some rustling coming from nearby bushes. Astrid calmed down when she saw it was only Hiccup, carrying something big in his hands. It appeared to be made from some kind of a material. The auburn-haired teen reached Astrid and put the contraption in front of her. A saddle, that was what it was. The blonde girl's eyes widened, her eyebrows shooting up to her hairline. 

"You don't expect me to fly… On my own. On a dragon." She deadpanned. She was not ready for that. She still got airsick every time they were taking off and landing. 

"Astrid, you said you'll join us. We're Dragon Riders! You have already somewhat bonded with the Nadder. Flying is just another step further." It was Oili who answered, but Astrid could see Hiccup nodding in agreement. The girl looked at the said dragon. The Nadder looked as if it knew what they were talking about. Astrid jumped when she felt a hand on her back. 

"We'll go with you. In case something happens." Somehow she felt calmer when Hiccup said this. She looked at the saddle once again. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad… She was Astrid Hofferson. She shouldn't be afraid of anything. The girl promised she would help and she would do anything to keep it. Even if it meant getting on a dragon. 

"O-okay. I'll… I'll give it a try." Hiccup smiled that smile of his. The one that made her unable to do anything but smile back. The Nadder crouched down to the ground to give the girl easier access. Hiccup put the saddle on the yellow-blue dragon and helped her climb on. Astrid clumsily mounted the winged creature, not used to bigger height difference. She yelped when the Nadder stood up and started getting ready for taking off. Astrid gripped the rains tightly. 

"Hiccup, maybe it's not such a good idea to-" she wasn't able to finish because the dragon shot up to the sky. Astrid clung to the saddle, trying not to fall off. Oh Gods, there goes her food… She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw. The blonde let out a shaky sigh of relief when she felt that they were leveling out. Now that she wasn't in potential danger as much, she could look around. Astrid fell in love with flying the first time Hiccup took her, but it was an even more amazing experience to fly on her own. She felt more in control on the back of the Nadder. And to think that if it weren't for Hiccup, she would have never been able to experience it. 

"Amazing, isn't it?" Astrid turned her head to see Oili flying beside her. As surprising as it was, it didn't feel weird to see the younger girl on the back of a dragon. She somehow fitted there, in the skies. Like Hiccup. The girls smiled at each other. 

"What dragon is that? I've never seen anything like it." The seventeen-year old asked, gesturing the weird, furry dragon. As soon as she let one of her hands get off the reins, she brought it back there. Oili beamed, proud. 

"That's Icecone. He's a Woolly Howl." The strawberry-blonde haired girl patted the dragon gradually at which the dragon made a happy noise. A black speck flew beneath them with a speed that Astrid had never seen before, except for the raids. A high wave formed in the place where the Night Fury had been seconds before. The girls observed the synchronized duo. It was mesmerizing to watch how well the functioned together. It looked almost as if they had one mind, they trusted each other wholeheartedly with everything they did. The dragon and his Rider turned violently upwards and started doing flips and other dangerous-looking stunts. Astrid felt a bit worried, but at the same time she had to remind herself that Hiccup knew what he was doing, he had been flying for years now. 

"Showoff." Oili muttered under her breath with a playful smirk. The girl turned to Astrid. 

"You're up for a challenge?" Astrid pondered on that. On one side she was completely new to this whole dragon-riding business. Any kind of a challenge that involved skills with flying would be hard for her. She might even fall of her dragon. It could be considered foolish of her _but,_ on the other hand, she was Fearless Astrid Hofferson and she did _not_ back away from a challenge. Competiveness ran in her blood, it was what she lived for. 

"What kind of a challenge?" she finally asked. 

"We race. The first to get to these sea stacks wins." Oili gestured a row of pillars some distance away. It didn't seem so hard… 

"I'm in." Astrid beamed. She didn't have a good challenge in a while. She was getting excited and, perhaps, a bit too confident. The Nadder seemed to be getting ready for the race as well. 

"3.. 2.. 1… GO!" Both dragons flung their wings furiously and raced to reach the destination. Unfortunately it turned out to be quite difficult for Astrid. She was excited and scared at the same time. The exhilarating feeling of wind in her hair and the great speed she was travelling with made it an unforgettable experience. She almost slipped from her saddle at one point, though. Digging her heels into the stirrup, she somewhat regained her balance. Oili was the first to reach the sea stacks, but Astrid wasn't that far behind. 

"Nice. For a newbie anyway. " the younger girl smirked. 

"Not bad yourself." Astrid breathed out. The whistling sound of the Night Fury approaching made the both girls turn their heads around. When the duo reached the black dragon, Astrid couldn't help but smile at the pure happiness evident on both Hiccup's and the Night Fury's face. The eighteen-year old's hair was even more out of place, yet it looked more… _him_ somehow. 

"How's it going? Everything alright?" he asked, running his hand through his hair. Both girls nodded with a smile. They flew some more. Oili and Hiccup raced with each other. Astrid moved on her own, exploring the skies by herself. It was all so amazing. How can one can go back to the life on the ground when the sky was so beautiful? So breath-taking? She felt like she could stay there forever. Her face was hurting from all the smiling. She reached out to the clouds with her hand. They seemed so unreachable and unreasonable from the ground. The life down there seemed so confined compared to the infinite skies that were surrounding her. They sky was an another world completely – you could be whoever you wanted there. What was on the ground, it didn't matter right in that moment. And that was beautiful. At some point, Oili looked at the sky and frowned slightly. 

"I think it's time to go. For me at least." She smiled sadly. 

"Is everything alright in Bjargey?" The words tumbled out of Astrid's mouth before she could stop herself. She knew it was only a week and a half, but she already missed her home island. Seeing Oili made her feel better but she still felt a bit homesick. The shorter girl smiled. 

"Everything's fine, don't worry. The Chief is a bit less energetic, but that's because he misses you. We all do." The girl looked at the sky once more. "Anyway, I really need to go." She and Hiccup exchanged a hug, still sitting on their dragons. Astrid really tried not to feel jealous, though she felt a small pang in her chest. She didn't know why, the girl knew there was nothing between them. The two of them pulled away and with one, last wave, Oili and the dragon flew away. A poke to the arm grabbed her attention. 

"We should be getting back too." Hiccup gestured the sky with his head. It was a good day, she decided. Astrid felt a bit more confident sitting on the dragon and the idea was not so preposterous anymore. 

"So… how is it? Not as bad as it looked like, huh? You're a natural, it seems." Hiccup smiled at her. 

"I… suppose it's not so bad." The girl paused before adding. "It's amazing actually." Amazing wasn't an adequate word as it was _so_ much more. Astrid could definitely understand the happiness that the flying brought to Hiccup. She didn't know how she lived without it for so long. The blonde noticed the island from before beneath them. Hiccup didn't make any kind of a move to land, though. 

"Isn't that the island we landed on before?" Astrid tried to ask over the wind. 

"It is, but we're going straight to Berk." That got Astrid a bit confused. 

"But what about the dragons?" 

"There's a cove on the other side of Berk." Hiccup turned to her slightly. "How did you think I got on Toothless earlier?" Astrid mentally face-palmed. Of course! How could she have been so stupid. Well, now it made a bit more sense. It was almost dark by the time the Isle of Berk came into view. Instead of flying towards it, they made half a circle and started descending towards, what appeared to be, the middle of the forest. A small cove appeared and the two dragons flew there. They landed near a small pond located in the middle of the cove. The place looked beautiful and peaceful. It remained her of the clearing back on Bjargey. 

"And no one will find them here?" Astrid asked after she clumsily dismounted the Nadder. Hiccup shook his head. 

"Toothless had been kept here safe for four years." Astrid tried to stretch her sore legs. Dragon Riding had its cons as well. Astrid brought a hand to the Nadder's snout. 

"Bye, girl. Thank you… thank you for today." The blonde Viking smiled at the dragon. _She_ seemed to be happy too, _her_ eyes dilating into black poodles. Astrid patted the blue dragon one, last time before turning away. She and Hiccup headed back to Berk. As she followed her husband through the thick woods, she couldn't help but feel excited and nervous at the same time. It surely was a beginning of a new chapter in her life. What would it bring, only time would tell. She did things that she had never thought she'd do. Things that her past self would see as an unforgivable act of treason. And, what scared her more, Astrid did not feel guilty. 

For the first time in her life, she felt truly free. 

**A/N:**

 **I some time reading and looking for how Vikings lived and how their houses looked. And it's really fascinating. There's just something endearing about a longhouse, especially a one covered in ivy or moss. And I know that it's not that much historically accurate (though I mentioned that I'm not exactly aiming for that). When I searched for Viking furniture, apart from hundreds of offers to buy them, I read about beds, chests and other simple ones. I couldn't find anything about closets** _ **but**_ **I found a pretty accurate (I think) reconstruction of a Viking house and there was something of that sort. So I decided that I can use it.**

 **I have not made any changes or fixes yet as my week has been very busy.  
**

 **Mars** **: I'm so thankful you think that! I try to do my best and I'm glad that people enjoy it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. :D**

 **Guest** **: That's so heart-warming to hear that my writing can makes someone's day a bit better, even if a little bit. I have fun writing it and it's great that readers have fun reading it too. I wanted to show Hiccup's determination because that's an important part of his character to me. The way he defended Toothless or was willing to protect Berk – that' something to admire.** _ **Astrid**_ **admires it. I hope you liked the chapter. :D**

 **Alicia** **: Thank you very much for the review! Funny thing is, I had a trouble with figuring out an appropriate title for the story. But I'm really glad that you think it fits. And I'm happy that you're enjoying it so much. I wanted the character study to be an important part of the story. ;)**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

~ **InsertACreativeNameHere**


	15. The Edges

**Welcome peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

 **CHAPTER 15**

 **The one with edges**

Astrid was annoyed. 

Dragon riding turned out to be more difficult than it seemed at first. Especially with Hiccup trying to teach her some more complicated evasive maneuvers and whatnot. You'd think that after a week of that she wouldn't have that much problem with it… Yet here she was, once again not being able to do that damn barrel roll. It was really getting on her nerves. She was Astrid Hofferson and she was a warrior and a perfectionist. On the ground she could take down almost anyone and she was proud of that. In the skies, it was Hiccup that had the advantage. Astrid could only watch amazed as her husband, more agile and balanced than she ever thought he could be, just walked on a dragon's back while mid-air. He flew with so much grace, it made her poor attempts at doing the same even more agitating. 

"Astrid, we don't have to do that. If you want a brake-" Hiccup's soothing voice grabbed her attention. 

"I don't." she answered sharply and almost immediately felt guilty. It wasn't his fault and she shouldn't have snapped at him. It was just so unnerving. She could fly a bit faster now but whenever she and the Nadder tried to make the barrel roll or just try to spin in any way, things got messy. Both the dragon and the girl seemed to panic at the last moment. Astrid hated to admit but the vision of falling off the dragon scared her a lot. She almost did a few times. If it weren't for Hiccup and Toothless flying beside her, things would have looked a lot differently. And doing all that spinning, she wasn't much in control. A strong gust of wind hit her back and when the girl turned around, she saw Hiccup's concerned face. 

"Astrid, it's fine. You're not going to learn everything at once. You're doing better than most anyway and, honestly, do you think I could do all that as soon as I got on Toothless? It takes time." Astrid felt her shoulders relax slightly at the words. She sighed. Hiccup was right, she supposed. But it didn't make it much easier. "You are allowed to make mistakes." 

Astrid gripped the rains tighter, words stuck in her throat. It wasn't right… It wasn't what she was taught. She was supposed to be a brave, strong, patriotic, axe-welding Viking. And those didn't make mistakes. Mistakes cost. They cost your name and, most importantly, they cost lives. And then there was Hiccup telling her that she was allowed to make them. He, once again, went against what she was taught and believed most of her life. He was a revolutionist. Not only did he change her view on dragons, but he started to affect other things as well. Because of that, she started questioning things that seemed so certain up until now. If anything were to happen, she wouldn't' be able to come back to her old life, old beliefs. Who was he to make such a huge impact on her life? 

"I can do it." She responded curtly, ignoring Hiccup furrowing his brow. Astrid closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. She _was_ going to do it. She was… 

"Come on Stormfly, one more time." The blonde patted the blue Nadder. Only recently did she receive a name. During one of the earlier flights, there was a storm forming quite quickly in the distance. Hiccup proposed to go back and Astrid had no objections there. Her dragon, though, was another story. The Nadder was very stubborn to fly right into it. Nor Astrid, nor Hiccup knew why, but after a few stronger pulls from the blonde rider, the Nadder, dubbed Stormfly after the incident, gave up and headed back towards Berk. It was said in a joke at first, but the name kind of stuck after that. As it turned out, Hiccup wasn't the only _creative_ one when it came to naming things. 

"Astrid…" Hiccup's tone became warning. Gods, he sounded like her father. She could do it. She would show him. One, simple task would not defeat her. Hiccup did it multiple times without breaking a sweat. So she could do it too. Astrid nudged the dragon and Stormfly understood the signal. It was amazing how easy it was to communicate with the dragons without the use of words. They seemed pretty useless with them. With a simple touch or gesture Stormfly knew what Astrid wanted to do. The girl started to understand the Nadder more, as ridiculous as it may sound to most people. 

The girl and her dragon started flying faster. Astrid tightened her grip even more, making her knuckles almost snow white. The Nadder's muscled body started to turn, preparing for the maneuver. The food, that the blonde girl ate that morning, started to make its presence known. The hated feeling of gravity pulling her towards the ground made her heart beat faster and sweat started to form on her forehead. The Nadder turned more sharply, expediting at the same time. Astrid's eyes involuntarily ventured to the deadly sea underneath her. 

She could do it. She could do it. Oh, Gods… She _couldn't_ do it. 

The quite unfamiliar and disgusting feeling of fear gipped her heart as she saw how high she actually was. Astrid never really thought of that while she was in the air. There were so many other, better things to focus on. Her hands started to slip away and the girl tried to violently pull the reins closer to her. That caused Stormfly to shriek in surprise and stop abruptly. The awkward position and the fact that Astrid had already been pretty much unstable on the back of the dragon, made her lose her grip completely. Her stomach came into her throat as she desperately tried to hang onto the saddle. 

"Astrid!" Hiccup's concerned yell could be heard from somewhere in the distance. Stormfly squawked, worried for her Rider. She calmed down, trying to stay as still as she could. Astrid, using all the strength she could muster, pulled herself up and clumsily threw her leg over the saddle. She somehow managed to stay in the leather contraption and remain more or less stable. Her heart threatened to escape her chest, it was beating so furiously. She felt herself shaking and her breathing was still quick and shallow. Her hands found the reins, though the rest of the flight became a blur. Astrid heard Hiccup trying to talk to her and by his tone it was clear that he was scared for her. 

" 'm fine." Was the only thing she could crock out. She doubted he heard her, though. As soon as she dismounted Stormfly back in the cove on Berk, she felt her knees become weak. Hiccup run up to her and embraced her. The contact was unexpected but genuinely welcomed by the blonde. When she became more stable, a rush of anger started to cloud her mind. She wanted to hit something. Badly. Her hand was clenched into a fist and she moved it towards Hiccup's torso without thinking about it. A bigger hand stopped it from reaching the armor on her husband's chest, though. She let out a scream of frustration. What was she doing? It wasn't for her. She couldn't do it. Astrid found something she wasn't good at and it hit her worse than she originally thought it would. 

"It's f-" Hiccup covered her clenched fist with his hand, moving it away from him. 

"It's not _fine_ , Hiccup!" The wave of anger had diminished slightly and Astrid's tone become more defeated than anything else. She turned her head sideways, avoiding his gaze and judgement. "I just want to do it right." 

"Astrid, look at me." The girl reluctantly did, her blue eyes meeting his green ones. "Do you know how many times I have fallen off Toothless? Or how many times I have failed at doing something new in the air?" He snorted, throwing his head to the back slightly. "I do it all the time. Even now. " He shrugged. Then his face became more serious as he gripped her shoulders lightly. 

"No one is able to do everything, Astrid. Especially when you are new to something. Believe me, I _know_ how it is to fail or to feel unskillful. Focus on what you do best and try to get better at things that you don't. And, by all means, be patient about it. Bjargey or Berk were not built in a day. **[1]** " He shot her a smile, showing off his slightly gapped teeth. Astrid bit the inside of her cheek. She clenched her right fist again. This time she did land a punch on Hiccup's shoulder. His smile vanished, a look of surprise substituting it. 

"What the-" He held his 'injured' arm. 

"That's for going all sappy on me." Hiccup raised one of his eyebrows, still not quite understanding why she did it. Astrid grabbed the front of his armor and pressed her lips to his cheek. 

"That's for… everything else." His grin, albeit a bit less sure one, was back and she couldn't help but smile as well. Hiccup didn't think of her any less because she wasn't able to do some things. He didn't look down on her. And if anyone would understand her, it would be him. Sometimes it seemed as if he believed in her and her abilities more than she did. 

"Come here you." He brought her closer to him and she leaned at the same time he did. She felt content in his arms. She was still getting used to that but she liked it. Astrid always thought of the kissing as something quite revolting but that wasn't the case at all. Whenever their lips touched, she could feel streaks of electricity. It made her calm down, yet, at the same time, she felt more alive. The kiss was ended short as the Night Fury let out a loud snort, clearly not amused with the humans' antics. Hiccup pulled away from her. 

"It's getting late. We should be getting back before they'll look for us. You should get all the sleep you can – we're going somewhere tomorrow." Astrid raised an eyebrow at that. Hiccup and his endless secrets… Though, she had to admit – she was kind of excited and curious about what her husband wanted to show her. The blonde went to say goodbye to the Nadder. 

"Bye Stormfly. I'll see you soon." The dragon crooned unhappily at the Viking girl. The Nadder looked guilty and Astrid reached to scratch the dragon's chin. She felt moved seeing Stormfly's concern. "It wasn't your fault, girl." 

As sad as it was to leave the dragons, the two riders decided to head back. Astrid came to really like the Berk's woods. They weren't the same as the ones at home, but the forest had a nice, peaceful aura around it. She still haven't been able to find a good training ground, except the Cove, but it didn't really matter right then. The blonde was glad that Hiccup was with her because she was pretty sure she would've gotten lost if it weren't for him. They stayed quiet for most of the walk back, both lost in their own thoughts. The village came into view soon enough. She was about to say something, when Fishlegs appeared. He looked as if he'd been running for some time. The relief was evident on his face. 

"Hiccup!" he exclaimed and took a deep breath as to calm down a bit. " Your father… your father has been looking for you." He breathed out quickly. Hiccup scrunched up his nose in confusion. 

"What for?" Fishlegs, a bit calmer, shook his head. 

"I don't know. He just said he needs to talk to you. Though it has been a few hours ago. " the husky teen looked at the taller teen. "He looked mad the last time I saw him." He added in a whisper as if to add some kind of suspense. Hiccup only rolled his eyes at that. 

"He looked mad since the day I was born. But I'm sure there's no connection…" the auburn-haired teen deadpanned. Fishlegs didn't look amused by his friend's response. 

"Just go and see what he wants. Before he chops someone's head off." Hiccup sighed, but nodded anyway. He turned slightly towards Astrid, hesitated a bit and leaned to kiss her cheek quickly. He disappeared before she had a chance to react. The girl felt her face heating up upon Fishlegs's gaze. 

"What are you looking at?" she snapped, though it didn't come out as fierce as she wanted to. The blonde Berkian just shrugged his shoulders, looking somewhat innocently. An idea popped into her head. Okay, maybe it wasn't the best one out there but maybe it would help. 

"Are you going with us tomorrow?" Maybe Fishlegs would know where Hiccup wanted to take her. She guessed not, as she saw the boy's surprised expression. 

"Tomorrow? You're going somewhere?" _Shoot_. Maybe Fishlegs was not supposed to know. Hiccup didn't say anything about not telling the other Berkian but it could've been implied. What if it was some kind of a big secret? Something that others were not supposed to know about? _Great job Astrid. No, really, you did marvelous._ She tried to backtrack. __

"Heh. Hiccup must've meant some kind of… uh… flying maneuvers then." She said the last part quickly. It was clear that Fishlegs did not believe what she just said but didn't question it any further. He was probably already used to how Hiccup did things. Astrid cursed herself. Her lying skills were another thing that she needed to work on. Not that she really wanted to. Honesty was very important to the girl and she didn't want it to change. It seemed to be too late for that, though. She _was_ stuck in a game of pretending right now. Only time would tell how long that would last. Fishlegs was about to say something when his eyes landed on th sky above. 

"Oh, shoot. I'm late. I'm supposed to help my mum with the sewing. Good luck with your, eh, _flying maneuvers_." He quickly trotted back to the village, leaving Astrid both confused and amused. One of _the_ Dragon Riders, the group that appalled in the Barbaric Archipelago, was late for sewing with his mother. The girl couldn't stop herself from letting out a small chuckle at the abstract situation. She decided she would go back home. As the girl entered the village once again, she saw Gobber from the distance. He was trying to pick up something big. As she came closer, she saw it was some scrap metal, probably needed for the forge. The girl had no doubt that the Viking could pick it up with ease, but the older Berkian was having problems with his left hand, or rather lack of it. Astrid decided to help him. She picked up some of the metal and put it on Gobber's outstretched hand and hook. 

"Thanks, lassie." The veteran Viking shot her a grateful smile. " Though I think I would've managed." Fortunately he didn't say it with any anger or beef. **[2]** Astrid smiled back. It had been some time since she got to talk to the older Viking. 

"How are ye lass? From what I've seen you and 'Iccup have gotten closer." Gobber said while sending her not-so-subtle wink. Astrid's face became a few shades redder, second time that day. She needed to get a hold of that. 

"It's- it's great. Berk's beautiful and Hiccup's very nice." 

"Where is that boy anyway? He was supposed to help with all this." With his hands (hand and a hook, actually) full, Gobber tried to gesture the scrap metal. Astrid had to think quick. She needed to find some excuse for them to be gone all day. She couldn't simply say: _Oh, yeah we've been training and flying all day. Did I mention that we keep two dragons here, in the forest?_ Hiccup's sarcasm was contagious, unfortunately.  
 _  
_

" He took me… for a walk in the forest. And then his dad called for him." Gobber shook his head with a small smile.

"Aye, that boy always goes to that forest. It's like his second home." The veteran Viking seemed to have zoned off a little. "He's something else, isn't he?" 

"Yeah, he is." Astrid agreed softly, staring at the ground. If Gobber only knew… The two reached the forge soon enough. Astrid helped with the scrap metal, putting it on one of the work desks. The older man looked at her with a smile, his metal tooth sticking out of his mouth. 

"He's always been different." Gobber the Belch chuckled. "When he was a child he had this obsession about trolls. Have I ever told ye the story of when Hiccup was five years old and ran around the village with only his skivvies on, claiming that a troll was chasing him?" Astrid felt herself smile. 

"No, you haven't sir, but I'll gladly hear it." She said happily. The girl made herself comfortable by the table. Gobber cleared his throat and started. 

"Well, it all began-" 

"Gobber!" the two Vikings turned around to see Hiccup standing by the entrance with his arms crossed. "I thought we agreed not to mention it ever again. I was young – I thought trolls were real. The end." The taller teen didn't look angry. Annoyed, but not angry. 

"Trolls exist!" was Gobber's energetic response. 

"They steal yer left socks." Hiccup and Gobber said at the same time, the auburn-haired teen mocking the accent that his mentor was speaking with. He got a hook to the head for that. Astrid had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing. She loved the relationship between the two and their banter was amusing to watch. 

"Well, I wouldn't have to occupy yer wife here, if you had helped with the scrap metal, like ye said ye would." Hiccup turned his head and looked at the metal placed in the forge. He face-palmed himself. 

"I'm so sorry Gobber. I completely forgot." The older Viking just waved his hand. 

"No, I understand. It's good that you spent some time with the lass. Just inform me beforehand next time." Hiccup still had a miserable face, probably filled with guilt. "Look, ye couldn't have carried much with those twig arms of yers anyway." Gobber said patting the boy on the shoulder, trying to make him feel better somehow. 

"Thanks for summing it up." Astrid was about to interfere, but she saw that Hiccup wasn't angry for what Gobber said. The taller teen looked almost amused actually. The blonde figured it was not something unusual for the two of them. 

"Anyway, we'd better go." He added sending Astrid a look. The girl stood up and started walking towards the door. They said their goodbyes - Gobber once again thanked Astrid for the help with the scrap metal – and they were off. She tried to ask Hiccup about what his father wanted, but the older teen wasn't keen on answering the question. He said it was about some organization staff. Ones she didn't need to worry about at all. The girl left the topic and changed it for something lighter. She found talking to Hiccup easy, almost calming. The two teens reached their home (she still felt weird calling it that) and went straight to bed. Astrid didn't know how tired she was until she laid down. The blonde fell asleep listening to Hiccup's snores, her head filled with thoughts about the upcoming day 

* * *

Astrid woke up the next day to someone shaking her arm and calling her name. She quickly woke up, remembering the last time she was woken up like that. The girl was ready to grab an axe, when she saw Hiccup's, this time, calm face. He smiled when he saw she wasn't sleeping anymore. 

"Good. You're awake." And with that he exited the room. Astrid stretched her arms above her head and got out of the bed. It was pretty early, even by her standards. The girl saw a bag laying in the corner. She went up to the closet and picked out some clothes. Normally she would wear a dress of some sort, a married woman's clothes, but when she was with Hiccup, she usually settled on something more comfortable and overall simpler. Deciding that Hiccup left to give her some space, she started undressing. The blonde had her pants already on when the door swung open, revealing her husband. Astrid immediately went to cover her chest and turned around, though not before seeing Hiccup's completely red face. 

"I-I'm so sorry. I didn't know." She heard him trip and curse afterwards. Astrid shut her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm going now." The girl waited a few more seconds before relaxing. That must've been one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. She dressed herself in a record time. Astrid hesitated before exiting the room. Should she say something to him? Yell maybe? Hiccup said he wasn't aware she was dressing herself and she believed him. The most embarrassing thing about it, was that it was nothing he hadn't seen before. Sure, they were drunk then but still. The girl decided to just pretend it never happened – somehow they were even, she supposed. She had seen his scars by accident and he was very embarrassed about it too. Upon her arrival in the main room, Hiccup immediately shot up from the bench, still red in the face. 

"I'm _so_ sorry Astrid. I really didn't m-" he said while gesturing with his hands a lot. Astrid decided to put him out of his misery and cut him off. 

"Just drop it Hiccup." She didn't mean to snap –it came out like that accidentally. The taller teen slung his shoulders. 

"Right, right. Sorry." Hu muttered under his breath. Astrid felt guilty. Who was he, to make her feel like that? Her thoughts were cut off by Hiccup clearing his throat. 

"Well… we can go now?" it sounded more like a question than a statement, but Astrid was glad for the change of topic. She nodded wordlessly. The older teen disappeared for a second and when he came back, he was carrying the bag from their room. Instead of going towards the front door, Hiccup went to the back of the house. Astrid, curious and surprised, followed. The eighteen-year old moved the tapestry and revealed a back door. He opened it and gestured for Astrid to go. The girl complied and when she exited the house she found herself just by the forest. No one in the village would be able to see them leaving. _Smart thinking Hiccup._ She had to admit- he had thought it through. The walk towards, what she supposed was, the Cove was quiet. The two of them were still a bit tense after the morning incident. She was right about where they were going to, though. Hiccup put the bag on the ground and sighed. 

"Could you wait outside for a second? I need to change." Astrid nodded and went to lean on some kind of a boulder outside the Cove. She was really curious about what Hiccup wanted to show her. The girl was so lost in thought, she almost didn't notice Hiccup coming to her, cladded in armor. It was at this moment it hit her – Hiccup really was the Dragon Master. It was always present at the back of her head but to see him in his black armor… The one he used during the attacks, not the pieces of it he wore during training. He looked almost scary. He had his mask under his arm – demon's face as people would call it. Astrid could see a lot of weapons, knives sticking from everywhere. He was armored from head to toes. That was probably what made it all even more real. She had to admit, the suit was _very_ fitting. _Gods, Astrid, stop staring!_ She felt her face heating up, her mind once more going back to one, particular night. _  
_

"I'm ready if you are." His nasally voice brought her back to reality.

"Y-yeah, I'm ready." Gods, she never stutttered... She happily greeted Stormfly and Toothless, the former one in a much better mood. As they took off, she glanced at Hiccup. His face was completely covered by the mask, though. Even his eyes had black material over them. The mask was supposed to resemble a Night Fury's head and it did its job quite well. The eighteen-year old was looking straight ahead, shoulders tense, so she guessed he was all business. Astrid didn't know how long they were flying. The two teens didn't talk much during their journey – Hiccup wasn't really keen on talking, answering only with single words. The strong wind was an another obstacle – you'd have to shout to be heard over it. 

"We're getting closer." Astrid looked ahead. She saw something in the distance, but it was just a mere speck. Looking at the sky, she concluded it was late morning already. The closer they got, the speck was looking more and more like some kind of land among the vast waters around. 

The island turned out to be big – the size of Berk and Bjargey put together if not even bigger. From the side they were flying towards, there were two very steep mountains. They looked like an entrance of some kind. The two riders passed the mountains and what she saw was incredible. It was a village, a huge one. But what amazed her the most, was that there were dragons everywhere. In the air and on the ground. There were as many dragons as there were people, maybe even more. Most of the dragons there she didn't recognize from any Book of Dragons she had ever seen. Hiccup and Toothless flew towards the back of the village and Astrid followed. There was a big clearing there and it seemed to have the purpose of a landing spot for dragons. The girl heard some cheers. She supposed the people here were happy that their leader (because that was who Hiccup was to them, wasn't it?) returned. The two dragons landed. Hiccup hopped off the Night Fury and took off his mask. Astrid dismounted Stormfly and came closer to him. He turned around, smiling at her. 

"Astrid, welcome to Dragon's Edge." 

**A/N:**

 **[1] I was referring to "Rome wasn't built in a day."**

 **[2] In my dictionary it said that 'beef' means 'pretension' or 'claim'. Does it really?**

 **No, it's not exactly the same Dragon's Edge as in the series. The idea is similar, but it has a different role here.**

 **I've been stuck recently. Not only when it came to writing, but in my personal life as well. A lot of things has not been going the way they were supposed to and that made me unmotivated. That caused other things to go wrong, thus not helping the situation at all. On Friday, thanks to my friends, it got a lot better, though. I want to focus on the good things and I can't express how happy I am that people enjoy what I do, at least to some extent. With each chapter there are more people that find it enjoyable to read and I just want to say that I appreciate it. I really, really do. :D**

 **Oh, and I changed the cover art, though you have probably already noticed that. It ain't a piece of art for sure but it's plausible (I think). The previous one was fine but I felt, as it is told from Astrid's point of view, she should be included there too. And then Toothless popped in.**

 **Guest** **: How could I mind? Your review are always so motivating and heart-warming. :)** **I can only thank you for that. And I'm really glad that you are enjoying this so much. Astrid is getting more and more involved with Dragon Riding while getting closer to Hiccup as well. And the story is going to be finished for sure. I don't like leaving things** _ **unfinished**_ **so there's that. :D Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **King Arthur** **: I am so glad to hear that you enjoy it! Thank you for that. :D I hope you liked the chapter.**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	16. The Boat

**Greetings, peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **[…] in the text – translation from Latin**

 **Almost 250 followers! That's so amazing (and kind of overwhelming as well). I have never expected such a huge feedback. That's... that's a lot of people. Thank you – all of you – for reading, following and reviewing. :D**

 **With that being said – enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 16**

 **The one with boats  
**

Astrid was awe-struck. 

The Dragon's Edge, as Hiccup introduced it, was amazing and solely beautiful. The minute they landed, a crowd of people gathered, all of them wanting to greet Hiccup. The eighteen-year old gladly returned the greetings, a huge smile plastered on his face and eyes sparkling with a newfound fire. Astrid couldn't help but smile as well – it was so refreshing to see Hiccup accepted and happy. He deserved that. 

"You must be Astrid." She knew that voice… It was the voice of the Rider from the ring so many days ago. Astrid turned around to finally see who it was. There was a young girl standing beside Stormfly. Shrugging off the surprisingly affectionate Nadder (she always seemed distant when it came to strangers), the blonde looked over to the mysterious girl. She appeared to be Astrid's age. The female Rider was quite beautiful. Tall and lean, a bit like Astrid herself, though her figure and attitude seemed more feminine than her own. She had black hair tied into a braid over her shoulder and her eyes were green. Different from Hiccup's forest green ones – hers seemed... colder somehow. Astrid couldn't quite place it. As she eyed her suspiciously, Astrid realized that the other female was wearing the same armour as in the ring during the attack. The black-haired Rider was softly smiling and had her hand held out. 

"I'm Heather." 

"Astrid, but you already know that." The two girl shook hands. Astrid kept the handshake loose, her distrust not allowing her to do more. She quickly pulled her hand back. "How _do_ you know my name?" That made Heather smile even wider. Why, Astrid had yet to find out. 

"Oh, Hiccup told me a lot about you." She said with a wave of her hand. Astrid felt a blush creeping up on her face. She ignored it and crossed her arms instead. 

"He did?" How? And when? Heather was about to respond when Hiccup came to them. He hugged Heather, which certainly, for sure, absolutely did _not_ make Astrid jealous. Why would it? She had to stop herself from snorting out loud. When the taller teen pulled away, he laid his hand loosely on Astrid's waist. If it were any other boy she would have shoved it away, but Hiccup's hand there didn't bother her that much. Plus, it showed Heather not to have any ideas. Not that Astrid was jealous or anything. 

Because that would be _ridiculous_. 

"It's good seeing you again." Heather said and Hiccup smiled. "Come on, everyone is already waiting for you." Astrid didn't have time to pander on who exactly 'everyone' was, because the black-haired girl turned around and started heading in the direction of the centre of the island. Hiccup complied with Astrid in tow. Stormfly and Toothless followed, the Nadder trying to look everywhere at the same time. Stupid, lovable dragon. 

"So, uh..." Heather's voice became shyer and Astrid raised a thin eyebrow. She observed the back of the other girl's head as if it held the answers to Astrid's questions. "Is Fishlegs coming?" Astrid tore her eyes from Heather's almost unnaturally black hair when she heard Hiccup snickering. 

"Why? Are you missing him that badly?" Heather stopped abruptly. 

"Shut up." She turned around and flicked Hiccup's shoulder in a friendly manner. When she turned back, one of her hands went to grip her arm in, what Astrid could only assume was, embarrassment. Hiccup was still pretty amused and even the blonde Viking could feel her lips quirking slightly. Astrid bit her lip. She guessed that that was the previously mentioned girl that Fishlegs had his eye on. From the interactions between Heather and Hiccup, it was clear that they had known each other for some time. 

They entered a more crowded part of the town. It truly was full of life. Astrid never saw anything like this, most of the people there didn't even look like Vikings. They dressed in a different manner and they just looked unusual for that region overall. Most of their features weren't like the Vikings and some of the peoples' skin complexions were different, darker. People from somewhere more south, then. The dragons were absolutely everywhere, every size, shape and colour she could have ever imagined. The creatures weren't hostile, not at all, even children played with them without any resemblance of fear. It looked out of element, more like a dream, than reality. Heather and Hiccup carried on with some kind of a conversation but Astrid didn't join in, too amazed with the surroundings. 

The buildings on Dragon's Edge were made of stone instead of wood and were much more angular. Astrid titled her head curiously at the windows. They had something barely visible between the frames, though she didn't know what. **[1]** The roads were made of pieces of even stones, making the surface easier to walk on. On each side of the road there were colourful stands, filled with different kinds of fruits, vegetables and anything else you could imagine. The blonde saw a group of girls her age, maybe a bit older, dancing on the side. Neither the music, nor the dance was familiar to her, but it was no less entertaining. The strong beat of the drums was addictive and the colourful costumes caught everyone's eye. Astrid was absolutely amazed. Was that how the peace could look like? The people there looked so happy… 

The deeper they got into the town, the more crowded it got, though the people were sure to make some space for the newcomers. To Astrid's great surprise some villagers bowed when they was passing by. They all greeted Hiccup with a smile, gratitude even. That was a big jump, she supposed. From being hated and resented in his village, to being admired there. Hiccup deserved that bit of praise, though, at least in her eyes. Her husband wasn't the only person the townspeople greeted with a huge smile. Astrid was no less popular. Just like during the first day on Berk, the stares, albeit a lot warmer this time, were slightly overwhelming. They reached a building that reminded her of the Great Hall back on Bjargey or Berk. It was carved into a mountain as well, but there were no Viking statues standing by it. Hiccup shyly laced their fingers together and pulled her towards the huge building. He stopped and turned to her. His eyes wandered over her face uncertainly. 

"Normally I would've asked you to stay and maybe look around but, uh, you're..." 

"Important?" Astrid raised one of her eyebrows as she 'quoted' Hiccup's phrase from before. Hiccup nodded vigorously. 

"Yes, yes. Important." A bit reluctantly, she let Hiccup lead her to the Hall. The dragons stayed outside as if they knew that they shouldn't come inside. The Hall was bigger than the one back home. They entered it through massive doors made of wood and that was when Astrid froze jaw-slacked. On the wall opposite the entrance was a gigantic map. It consisted of Barbaric Archipelago and so, _so_ much more. It was handmade, some of the writings on it were newer than others. In different languages as well. She didn't even know there was so much of the world beyond Barbaric Archipelago. It made her think about her aunt. The poor woman had been cursed by Odin to sail to the end of the Earth, though she could never find it and kept coming back from another side... Astrid wondered if her aunt saw all that. The map was truly incredible – she had never seen anything like it. 

"You like it?" The voice of Hiccup brought her back to reality. 

"It's… it's amazing." She breathed out. They walked further into the Hall. Her thoughts returned back to the map. "Who made it?" 

"A lot of people. " Hiccup shrugged, his metal shoulder-pads clanging because of his sharp movements. 

"We all did. Well, still do, to be honest." Heather interjected. The blonde almost forgot the girl was even there. The dark-haired teen turned to Astrid and leaned in with a proud smile on her face. "Everyone on the Edge that has found something new adds the place on the map." Astrid breathed out. 

"You've been to so many places?" The Barbaric Archipelago looked so small and unimportant in comparison to all the other lands. Hiccup was about to respond but he was cut off by a feminine voice. 

"Finally! I thought the Night Fury was the fastest dragon out there." A short, blonde Viking girl came towards them and crossed her arms. Her hair was a mess and she had a sword attached to her hip. Astrid scrunched up her nose in thought, she knew the girl from somewhere. And then it hit her. 

"Camicazi? Camicazi from the Bog-Burglars?" the girl in question turned to Astrid in surprise. Her hands went to her hips as she narrowed her eyes. 

"I remember you from one of the Things – Ase? Aslaug Hofferson?" 

"Astrid, actually. A divine beauty." There was another guy, probably a few years older than herself. She almost immediately recognised him as Thuggory, heir of the Meathead Tribe. Following him was another girl that, when she came closer, turned out to be Princess Tantrum O'UGerly from Uglithug Islands **[2]**. So there were three other heirs from the tribes in Barbaric Archipelago beside her and Hiccup. Well, technically she wasn't Bjargey's heir anymore as she was married to Hiccup. Either way, it was a valuable information – she now understood what Hiccup meant when he said that 'being the heir was a crucial element'. If they had any chance of the peace, the Chiefs would have to be on their side and what better reason would there be for them to join, other than their children? It all just got more real. A new generation with a new look on the world. Maybe, just maybe, it could work somehow? 

"I'm Thuggory." The teen was a tiny bit taller than Hiccup and he was certainly burlier than her husband. The Meathead heir wasn't hard to look at and Astrid remembered the crowd off girls gathering around him every time during the Things. Thuggory seemed to have smiled at her flirtatiously but Astrid paid no mind to it. Neither his perfectly straight, white teeth, nor the thin lips formed into a smirk impressed her. There was one, essential problem with that smile. 

It wasn't Hiccup's crooked and awkward one. 

"I know. I remember you from two years ago." She smiled in a polite way. She must have imagined it because she felt Hiccup's grip on her hand tightening a bit. 

"I'll leave you to your business." Heather excused herself and walked out of the Hall. The meeting must have been scheduled beforehand because the whole building was empty except for the heirs. Astrid swallowed slowly, not really knowing what to expect of the talk. They moved to the table in the middle of the Hall. The door once again opened and a man, a bit older than any of them, entered the building. He was tall and buff, but he didn't seem to be a Viking. His clothing and armour was different, his face didn't have any typical Nordic features either. She saw Hiccup smile. 

"Sergius **[3]**." The name wasn't a Viking one, either. 

"Singultus ." [ _Hiccup_ ] The man answered. Astrid stared, confused. The man's brown eyes sparkled with excitement. 

"I am happy to see you my friend." He said in a thick accent. Astrid couldn't quite place it. Hiccup stood up to embrace the man in a friendly way." I apologize for being late." The man said while looking around. Both Hiccup and him went back to the table. Sergius greeted the other heirs and then he looked at her. 

"You must be Astrid. As beautiful as they say, indeed." He smiled at her, though it was not in a flirtatious way, thank the Gods. Did everyone on that island know who she was? Sergius looked like a nice and friendly enough guy, though, so the girl returned the smile. "You already know I'm Sergius." The man seemed to be in mid-twenties, at least Astrid thought so. The blonde wondered if the mysterious Sergius was also an heir. If yes, then she doubted he was an heir from Barbaric Archipelago. 

"I'm glad everyone was able to arrive this time. I know it's difficult." Hiccup said as they were finally seated. Thuggory's face became serious as he pulled out a few sheets of paper. 

"So, I send a few tracking dragons last week, like you asked, but we didn't find anything. We did set off the rest of the traps on the Meathead Island, though." The man frowned. " They made them a bit harder to destroy. I think they're slowly catching up." 

"What about the Uglithug Islands? Had the situation stabilized?" Hiccup asked. Thuggory handed him the papers and Hiccup started going through them. Astrid looked briefly at the notes, but didn't understand much of it. There were some calculations and names of dragon species, mostly unknown to her. Some names of people she didn't know. 

"It's better. They almost forgot about the whole situation." Princess Tantrum responded and handed another pile of papers to Hiccup. Astrid felt alienated. She didn't have an idea of what they were talking about. She didn't want to ask, though, she hoped everything would become clear in time. Astrid was already intruding, she felt like she wasn't supposed to be there. 

"If I may," Sergius started, catching everyone's attention. Hiccup looked up from the reports. "I think I have an important issue to discuss. It concerns the Big Guy." The man looked at Astrid pointedly. The blonde Viking didn't want to be excused now – she wanted to be finally filled in. 

"Astrid can stay. She needs to know anyway." Hiccup said, looking around the table. Fortunately no one protested and Astrid found herself sighing in relief. Sergius nodded and took out a map. It looked a bit like a smaller version of the one hanging on the wall, but it had a lot more things written on it. The edges of the smaller map were slightly ripped, showing that it was used frequently. 

"Our patrol spotted his ships south to the Sanctuary." He said and pointed a place on the map. All of the people sitting by the table leaned closer to see. Astrid saw Hiccup frown. " Except for some Trapper boats, they were closer than ever before. I don't know if we should be getting concerned. Maybe send a few patrolling Riders closer?" he suggested and the heirs exchanged glances. 

"I think it may be just a provocation." All heads turned towards Camicazi. "We fly there and the moment we're closer, he takes us down." She smashed her fist into her other hand to emphasize her point. "I say we wait." 

"Camicazi might be right. He hasn't crossed the borders of the Archipelago yet. Though I think it'd be a good idea to warn the Riders coming from the islands in the southern part, including the Sanctuary. They should have more frequent patrols there." Hiccup turned to Sergius. "Were those Dragon Trappers, patrol or slave ships?" 

"Heather said they were patrol ships on which there were some Dragon Trappers too, though they were armoured more than usual. More people on it too." Hiccup leaned back into his seat. He looked deep in thought. Just then, Heather came into the Hall again. She had her hair swept and she had a concerned look on her face. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we spotted a Trapper's boat close by. Closer than usual." That information got everyone moving. 

"You can stay. I'll go." The Berk's heir said, standing up. Astrid looked around. 

"What about me?" Hiccup visibly hesitated. 

"I think Astrid should go with you." Sergius looked at the said girl with a smile. When he saw Hiccup opening his mouth, he added. "She needs to learn anyways." 

"Fine." The auburn-haired teen sighed, defeated. "But you listen to every word I say, understood?" Astrid felt herself nodding while dumbly smiling. Finally she would do something – not only sit, not knowing what was happening around her. She was going to prove herself, show that she was capable. The girl could finally start acting up on her promise and, perhaps, make a change. The two teens followed Heather outside. Toothless and Stormfly were already standing outside the Great Hall, along with several other dragons. Astrid recognised the metallic-looking creature from the arena. Hiccup came towards her, holding out a piece of black material. 

"Here. Tie it around your mouth." Astrid brought the fabric to her face and tied it in the back, some adrenaline coming along with it. She saw Heather doing the same thing. Astrid scrunched up her nose as the cloth didn't smell particularly pleasant. She knew from where they were coming, though. It was necessary so no one would recognise them, because if they did, it would bring a lot of unnecessary trouble. The two girls locked their gazes for a second and Heather nodded, quickly mounting the silver dragon. Both Astrid and Hiccup followed and soon they were in the air. They were flying quite fast and it didn't take them long to find the enemy's ship. It was quite big, to be honest. The boat didn't look like a Viking one and the crest fluttering on the flag was unknown to her. The amount of people on the boat was surprisingly small, though. Six or seven at most. The Night Fury flew a bit closer to her and Stormfly. 

"Please be careful." She almost didn't recognise Hiccup's voice as it was muffled by the mask. Astrid, not knowing how to respond, settled on a simple nod. The three dragons lowered themselves, still staying covered in the clouds, though. The people on the boat had yet to notice them. Astrid gripped the reins tighter feeling the excitement, and a bit of fear, course through her body. Her first 'mission' of that sort. 

"Stay behind for now. I'm going to grab their leader. Don't shoot unless it's necessary." After saying that, Hiccup shot up towards the boat with great speed. Astrid wanted to join in somehow but Heather and she were told to stay back for the time being and the blonde didn't want to mess it up on the first time. Stormfly and the metal-looking dragon slowly flew closer from both sides. The Trappers had already spotted the Night Fury and his Rider. The black dragon swiftly avoided any bolas and arrows shot at him and flew above the enemy's ship. Astrid stared as Toothless did a sharp turn, dived in and made for the boat with a break-neck speed. Some of the sailors noticed Astrid and Heather and decided to attack from both sides simultaneously. 

"Come on, girl." Astrid felt a rush of adrenaline as she nudged the Nadder to the side. Stormfly dodged a bola and shot a round of spines towards the ship. Heather's dragon shot a few of them too, blocking one of the catapults. The Night Fury flew past the ship, making it sway violently to the sides. That made the people on it unbalanced and the shots became sloppy and inaccurate. The black dragon steered away slightly. Heather flew over the ship, her dragon's tail making a huge shred in the mast further making the boat unsteady. 

"Rush'em lads. We have orders!" a tall and buff man shouted furiously. Astrid felt like she had seen him somewhere before. She leaned forward to see better. Her hand had fallen to a spot on the Nadder's head. The dragon jerked upwards and a single spine was shot towards the ship barely missing her head. 

"Huh?" The girl immediately leaned back into the saddle. That was new. She would have to try it out again later on. Another bola was shot in her direction but she had no problem with avoiding it. One of the men tried to fire a net at the dragons but he leaned too much to the front and, as the boat was still unstable, he landed in the cold waters beneath. He shouted something, flapping his hands around in desperation but no one spared him a glance, no one went to help him. Just another casualty in their mind, comes with the job. A splash, a turquoise fin and the problem was 'taken care of'. 

Unfazed by the loss of a comrade, the Trappers launched another attack. The boat became more stable just as the unmistakable whistle of the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself rung throughout the surroundings. They tried to react but there was no time. In a blink of an eye, the tall man that was shouting previously (their captain or leader, she supposed) was grabbed by the black dragon. The Trapper screamed, hanging onto Toothless' paw tightly. The rest of the people on the deck tried to shoot the dragons down, but there were too far off. Hiccup gave a sign for the other two dragons to follow. Stormfly flapped her wings violently and turned back. Astrid spared a quick glance to the waters underneath her. A locket floated among the frothy waves. Swallowing, the blonde turned her head to the front. 

"Let me go! I'm not going to tell you _anything_!" the man shouted. He had a foreign accent, but it was different than Sergius' one. She saw him desperately trying not to fall off, pawing at the Night Fury. 

"In that case, you're no use to us." Hiccup seemed to have shrugged, though it was hard to say because of the whole armour and distance between them. He then patted Toothless gently on the head. "You know what to do bud." 

...and then the Night Fury released the Trapper. Straight towards the sea. 

"Aaaaaahh!" the man yelled flapping his arms furiously. Astrid, gripping the reins tightly, looked at Hiccup horrified. The auburn-haired teen seemed calm and neither him, nor Heather, reacted. 

"3...2...1" Hiccup muttered under his breath. Astrid raised an eyebrow. 

"Fine! I'll tell you! I'll you everything!" the man was very close to the sea. Hiccup patted Toothless head and the dragon happily dived in sharply. They caught the Trapper in the last second. The pair returned to where they were flying a second ago. 

"Works every time." Hiccup stretched his arms in front of himself, satisfied. Astrid didn't want to know how often did it happen for Hiccup to say such a thing, in a completely calm voice no less. She looked at the man in the Night Fury's paws. The girl was really sure that she met him already. The accent seemed familiar too. She would have to see him up close because now he was too far away. They flew towards the other side of the Dragon's Edge in silence. Even the man stayed quiet. 

Both Toothless and Heather's dragon dived in sharply. Astrid nudged Stormfly on the side and the Nadder followed. She flew into some kind of a system of caves. There was no light inside, but the dragons did something unexpected (at least to her). Stormfly and other two dragons slightly opened their mouths and kept a little fire there so the surroundings were visible. They were flying very fast and the corridors were quite narrow. Astrid would have gotten her head detached if she hadn't ducked in the last second. She crouched down closer to the Nadder's body. They flew into some kind of a chamber and a rank smell instantly hit Astrid's nose, almost making her gag. She was kind of glad for the black cloth tied over her mouth and nose. It smelled a whole lot better in comparison to the cave. It was obvious it wasn't a place that was often used – damp patches were visible all over the walls. The Trapper was thrown face-first to the ground by the Night Fury and the silver dragon with Heather atop it, quickly immobilised the man by trapping him between his sharp tail and paws. Stormfly softly landed beside them and all three of the Dragon Riders dismounted their dragons. The dampness was making it harder to breathe. 

The Trapper tried to get up, but the dragon held him even closer using his tail, making the man sit in front of them with the tail's sharp end by his throat. The vibrant green eyes of the creature turned into slits as he hissed right into the terrified man's ears. Astrid cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. The man had black hair tied into a bun on the back of his head, leaving a few strands of loose hair hanging in front of his face. His brown eyes were wide with fear and were flickering from one side of the cave to the other until they hardened a bit. His face was quite big, especially his chin on which there were… tattoos? Just some weird silver –blue stripes, but still. She wasn't against tattoos – she liked Hiccup's ones (not that she would ever tell him that) – but tattoos on a face? That was a bit weird for her. He had some gashes on his face, the hard landing being the most probable cause of that. The man was wearing a yellow fur coat with a reddish shirt underneath. He had two empty sheaths on each side. Astrid guessed that the weapons must have fallen out when the man was in the air. 

Hiccup came closer, his metal armour clanging with each step. Something close to fear flashed through the Trapper's eyes for a second. Astrid felt her stomach twisting slightly, uncertain of what would follow. This was Hiccup, she had to remind herself. He would not harm a person just because. She cast a quick glance towards Heather, but the black-haired girl kept her gaze solely on the two men. Hiccup crouched in front of the man from the boat and unsheathed a small dagger from his armguard, fiddling with it between his fingers. 

"Name." Astrid almost didn't recognise his voice. She wasn't used to it sounding so commanding and dark. The black-haired man responded with a glare without uttering a single word. Astrid almost jumped when she heard loud growling from behind her. She turned around to see the mighty Night Fury slowly coming towards the men with his teeth barred. Hiccup used the Trapper's slightly scared expression and slightly pressed the sharp side of the knife to the man's throat. 

"Name." he repeated, quieter yet it made it even more terrifying. Astrid's heart started beating faster. That was not Hiccup she knew. No, it was someone else. The mask had changed him into a different person entirely. Or perhaps it was the situation. 

"Eret. Eret, son of Eret." The man spat out. It was then that it hit her. That was the sailor Ruffnut was fawning about for like two weeks straight. He came to Bjargey on a trader ship. Who was he really? Eret, son of Eret looked at Hiccup and added mockingly." Your Majesty." 

"State your business in the Barbaric Archipelago." The teen seemed to have ignored the last part. 

"Work." The Trapper answered shortly and looked up with a smug smile, sudden confidence masking his previous fear. "I see you have a Night Fury. Haven't seen one of those in a long time. What would Drago do for one of these?" he mused about the last part and Astrid could almost see the smoke coming from Hiccup's ears. She heard the name 'Drago' somewhere before, but she couldn't recall where and when was that. She had a feeling Drago was not all about peace and love. 

" It's a shame you won't be able to deliver it to him then." A loud noise came from the other side of the chamber and a few men came in, including Thuggory and Sergius. Hiccup stood up, flickering of the dirt from his trousers. 

"Take him to the cages." He said quietly, though still loud enough for Astrid to hear. The newly arrived men nodded and walked towards Eret. Thuggory took him sharply by the arms just in time when the dragon let the man go. Sergius came from the back and tied Eret's hands at the back. 

"You won't hold onto your dragons." The Trapper spat out, trying to wrench himself out. "You hear me?! Drago's coming for them all!" Astrid's eyes widened at that, her heart making a nervous flip. One of the men slugged Eret in the head making him unconscious. Sergius made a salute towards Hiccup and Heather and left with the rest, pulling the Trapper's limp body along with him. As soon as they left, Hiccup sighed heavily and threw his mask away. He rubbed a hand over his face, muttering something unclearly. 

" We should be getting back to the village." Heather said with a sigh. She came towards the place from where the men came from. "Come on, Windshear." The silver dragon got up and followed the girl. The black-haired girl took out a pendant looking just like one that Hiccup always wore and opened the door. Astrid slowly turned to Hiccup, not knowing if she should say something. The eighteen-year old wore a guilty expression on his face. It was almost as if the man holding the knife to Eret's neck was not Hiccup at all. Just someone, _something_ , that had taken over his body. Hiccup gestured the exit with his head, keeping his gaze on the ground. 

"Come on. We should go too." 

* * *

After they exited the chamber, Astrid once again found herself in a maze of corridors. Fortunately Hiccup knew where to go and the dragons used their fire to make the path visible. At least it wasn't as cold as it was beneath Bjargey. Actually, Dragon's Edge was pretty warm overall, unlike any other island she has been to in the Barbaric Archipelago. They got out pretty close to the village and when Hiccup suggested to sit down and eat something, Astrid didn't object. As she sat down on some stairs in the village, the auburn-haired teen glided through the crowd of people, going from one cart to another. By the time he finished, he had a basket full of different kinds of food. Instead of going to the Great Hall, Hiccup insisted to go to a more secluded place, a bit more outside the village. 

Flicking off the dirst from her skirt, she found her hands shaking slightly. This day was nothing like she expected. Truth be told, she didn't know what to expect but still… A man had died today. It wasn't her fault, she knew that, but that did not make it much better. The situation had gotten more complicated, it seemed. Not only was there a problem of bringing Vikings and dragons together, but this Drago person did not sit well with her either. Astrid felt there was a longer story behind it. Hiccup took her to a small, yet beautiful clearing. They sat down on the piece of a sheepskin that Hiccup took with him. Astrid noticed Hiccup seemed to be deep in thought, he kept lacing and unlacing his fingers. He turned to her, his green eyes dead serious. 

"Astrid, I'd like to tell you about Drago Bludvist." 

**A/N:**

 **[1] I'm sure you guessed it yourself, but you know – just in case. In the movies and TV series the idea of glass is unknown. The authors even played with it in the series, when Gobber tried to recreate Gronckle's Iron. He threw a piece of glass away, obviously thinking it was something useless.**

 **[2] Those are characters from the book. I've never actually read them, but I read some information about those characters. I hope I didn't make any major mistakes. If yes, feel free to tell me, politely of course. And I changed Uglithug Slavelands to Islands. The Slavelands would be contradictory with the story.**

 **[3] Sergius – a Roman name that can possibly mean 'servant' in Latin but is most likely of unknown Etruscan origin**

 **Cat's out of the bag, I guess. This chapter had been very heavily inspired by Into The Wild (or the longer and modified version – Into The Wild Chapter II) by Axl Rosenberg. It's a truly inspiring piece of music – I wholeheartedly recommend listening to it.**

 **Guest: Thanks for assuring me that I used the word correctly and I'm also thankful for your support.** **Hiccup and Astrid are starting to get used to each other, bit by bit understanding more of each other's characters and needs. And that has to end up awkward and adorable - I mean, it's** _ **them**_ **. :P And more of Hicsstrid moments up ahead for sure. The two of them bring out the romantic part of me and that is usually buried very, very deep.**

 **Alicia: Thanks for reviewing once more – I'm glad you liked it so much.** **The title 'Inner Warrior' seems pretty cool. I think that Inner Struggles is still appropriate in my mind. Astrid is still struggling with what she feels and what she thinks about the whole dragon thing. I've always seen this title to be double-edged. It doesn't apply only to Astrid, but also to Hiccup. He's struggling with personal things as well, some might say that even more than his wife. And it is still visible in this instalment. I don't know if you know what I mean, haha. :D I'm really happy you like story so much, though.**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

~ **InsertACreativeNameHere**


	17. The Truth

**Hello** **there peoples** **!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon: books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Warning: Suggestive themes up ahead!**

 **I want to thank the amazing** **residentmotherhen** **for helping me by proofreading and making some suggestions for the chapter! :D**

 **Enjoy** **!**

 **CHAPTER 17**

 **The one with the** **truth**

Astrid was shocked. 

As Hiccup told her about Drago Bludvist, Astrid felt a shiver going down her back. Apparently the man wanted to rule over the Archipelago by enslaving not only dragons, but people as well. The girl was surprised when she found out that Sergius was one of Drago's former slaves – actually, many people from the Edge were. Even though Drago treated people like garbage, he had a lot of followers across the world, though Astrid wasn't sure how many of those people were doing it willingly. From what she understood, Drago Bludvist wanted to fulfil his idea a lot earlier and with the help of other Chiefs', but they laughed it off as if it was nothing. That, however, had a tragic result as Drago, filled with anger, burnt down the Mess Hall at which the meeting was held. Nobody survived except for Stoick the Vast. Astrid's father was lucky as he decided not go to the meeting at the last second. The reason? His first child was about to be born. 

"He… disappeared after that meeting. At least that was what everyone thought. In the meantime he was building up an army, plotting revenge." Hiccup said while absently drawing in the ground with a stick. 

"But no one noticed anything out of place?" Astrid cocked her head to the side. If his army was as big as they said it was, then surely someone would notice something suspicious going on. The auburn-haired teen shook his head and sighed. 

"He was doing it outside the Archipelago. There… there were some people that tried to stop him before we took over, but it wasn't easy." He looked at her with those vibrant green eyes. "I'm telling you all that because I want you to understand that Drago Bludvist is a man without conscience or mercy. And he'll do _anything_ to get what he wants." He gripped her shoulders tightly, not enough to cause pain though. His wide-open eyes wandered over her face. "I want you to stay out of his way, Astrid. If- If you _ever_ come across him, fly away. Fly as fast as you can and don't look back." Astrid felt a rush of anger. 

"But that's cowardice! What if there were other people there that needed help?! Would you just leave them there to - to _die_?!" Hiccup looked at her sadly and tucked in a loose strand of Astrid's blonde hair behind her ear. The action caught her off guard, she was still getting used to the displays of affection. Even though the two of them were becoming bolder with their actions, this was new to her and she expected that for Hiccup it was no different. A pat on the back or an occasional hug was what she received at home and it had always been enough for her. Now she wanted more, she wanted Hiccup's slender yet sturdy body closer to hers, she wanted his surprisingly delicate touch and warm gaze. And that scared her. A simple gesture made her head fuzzy and she felt a good part of the previous anger melting away. 

"I would've stayed, of course. I'm talking about you." He withdrew his hand hesitantly. "I don't want you getting hurt." Astrid almost didn't hear the last part. 

"Hiccup…" she started with a slight sigh, but felt herself not knowing what to say. The confession touched her heart. It did. But at the same time, it was something that she and Hiccup discussed several times already. "I… I care about you. You know that. But I can't, _won't_ , fly away from things like that. You introduced me to dragon riding so I can help people and I'm going to, even if by that I risk my life." An awkward silence came over them. Astrid fiddled with her hands, not really sure what to do. I thought came to her, and the impulsive person that she was, the words came out of her mouth before she could stop herself. 

"It was Drago that gave you the scars, wasn't it?" She regretted asking the question as soon as she blurted it out. The blonde didn't dare to look up. "I'm sorry. That was out of place. I shouldn't h-" 

"Yes." She could feel Hiccup's hatred for the brutal man from the single word. "That's why I don't want him anywhere near you. I know what he's capable of." He kept his gaze on the ground, fiddling with the stick in his hand. Astrid hesitated before slowly taking his other hand and lacing it with hers. She felt relief when he didn't tear it away. 

"I'm really sorry. I... I had no right to ask that." 

"I presumed you would. Everyone does or at least wants to." Astrid was about to apologize once again (come to think of it – Astrid never apologized. What was that guy doing to her?) when her stomach rumbled loudly. They were so engrossed in the conversation that they had completely forgotten about the entire basket of food that they brought with them. Hiccup got up and grabbed the treats he so vigorously collected before. 

"Maybe we should just… move on? How about that?" he suggested timidly, sending her a smile, although Astrid could clearly see he was faking it. The blonde wanted to end the topic as much as her husband so she gladly accepted the proposition. She could see that the question hurt him. He looked embarrassed and Astrid felt a pang in her chest. Because he shouldn't feel that way, not about things like that. His shoulders were tense and even though his face looked neutral, she could see something else behind his calm mask. Hiccup wasn't as good at hiding his emotions as he thought. He leaned to open the basket and took out a small brown pouch from it. 

"Give me your hand." Astrid raised her eyebrows when Hiccup dropped some small, brown things onto her outstretched hand. 

"Try it." The girl sent the brown thing a sceptical look at which Hiccup rolled his eyes good-naturally. "You'll like it, I promise." He smiled at her and it seemed genuine. Astrid hesitated and took one of the oval things from her hand and popped it into her mouth. For something that didn't necessarily look pleasant, it tasted delicious. It was sweet, but not like the sweets from Bjargey or Berk. The taste was completely new to her, but she instantly fell in love with it. The girl popped more of them into her mouth. She must've looked pretty funny because Hiccup let out a short laugh. 

"What is that?" she asked with her mouth full. Hiccup took out a few of them for himself. 

"Those," Hiccup grabbed one of the things and put it in his mouth. "are almonds **[1]** , M'lady." 

"Almonds. Hmmm…" A yellow Terrible Terror landed close to the couple. It stared curiously at the nuts in their hands and licked its eye. Astrid glanced at the almonds in her hand and was about to give one of them to the small dragon when Hiccup stopped her. 

"That's not a really good idea. The Terrors always get hyped after that." He let himself smile. "Although sometimes it's pretty entertaining." Astrid couldn't help but let out a small laugh when she imagined a hyper active Terrible Terror. The atmosphere seemed to have gotten lighter and the blonde teen was really glad for that. She hoped that her slip-up from earlier would be forgotten. They ate some more, talking casually in the meantime. Somehow during the conversation, the couple had unconsciously moved closer and closer to each other. They were both laughing at something when they realized just how close they were. Astrid's stomach made a small flip and the girl leaned in at the same time Hiccup did. 

There was something different about the way they kissed. It was more passionate, more fierce. Their tongues battled for dominance and Astrid took a fistful of Hiccup's soft hair. All the tension from the last few hours seemed to have been released in that one kiss. Astrid's eyes widened when she felt Hiccup's hand traveling further down, stopping by the hem of her shirt. They had never talked about what happened at the Wedding Night, it was a taboo topic for them. Neither of them were ready to talk about it, it seemed. Astrid wasn't sure how to react; on one hand she was a bit nervous, on the other, she was curious as to what would happen next. She wanted it, desired it. It was like she wasn't in control of what she was doing or felt anymore. Hiccup's mouth left hers and travelled to her neck. The blonde moaned slightly at the unexpected contact and let Hiccup do whatever he wanted. Her shirt had been rolled up slightly, when… 

"Aaah!" Both teens quickly separated from each other as two dragons almost ran over them. Stormfly and Toothless didn't even register what happened as they continued playing tag. Hiccup was left partly laying on Astrid. Seeing that, the auburn-haired teen quickly stood up, apologizing all the time. Astrid, still a bit dazed from what happened earlier, just waved it away with her hand. They were left in an awkward silence. Astrid didn't know where that left them, and she was almost scared because she wanted the make-out session to continue. Hiccup cleared his throat and shyly suggested going back to Berk as the sun was already getting lower. 

Astrid didn't object. 

Before they left, the eighteen-year old asked Astrid to wait a moment, while he went to discuss something. He came back satisfied, Sergius in tow. 

"It was pleasure meeting you, Miss Astrid. I really wish it was under different circumstances, but I suppose God wanted it that way." The older man said politely with a smile. Some other villagers came to say their own goodbyes, not only to Hiccup, but to her, too, much to her surprise. She didn't quite understand it – they didn't even know her. The two teens said their last goodbyes and mounted their dragons. The flight back to Berk was a quiet one. Astrid couldn't stop thinking about what happened and what could have followed if they hadn't been interrupted. From the corner of her eye she noticed Hiccup glancing at her several times, making Astrid wonder if he felt the same way. The question was answered when they landed and came back home from the cove. As soon as they entered the house Hiccup locked his lips with hers, pressing her body against the wall. Astrid felt his heart beating and she felt as if she was on fire. The blonde instinctively wrapped her legs around her husband's waist and let him take her to the bedroom, while leaving a trail of kisses along his jaw. 

* * *

In the following week and a half Astrid focused more on getting to know Berk better and training in the afternoons. It was her new home after all. She was happy to spend some more time with Hiccup – they had definitely gotten closer since the trip to the Dragon's Edge. They were showing more affection in public now. It was actually Astrid's idea. She wanted people from Berk to know that they liked each other and that she wasn't ashamed to be married to him. Fortunately for both of them, the whispers and talk about what Alvin said died down pretty quickly. Most Berkians thought that Alvin only wanted to scare the Berkians; it wouldn't be the first time. There were also some more people on Berk that were on the Riders' side, as it turned out. The kind seamstress, the guy selling fresh fruits and vegetables, the young, blue-eyed baker - all were only a few examples of those who risked _everything_ by standing up for what they believed was right, people to admire for their determination and bravery. 

It was getting colder with each day. The short period, in which your limbs were safe from freezing off, was slowly coming to an end. It hit Astrid more than usual. Normally she was an early riser, yet lately she had been sleeping in quite often, the warm bed being simply too inviting. Or perhaps it was the company that made her stay in longer. She noticed Hiccup receiving some letters via Sharpshot from time to time. The young man was almost always frowning while reading them, but whenever Astrid asked him about it, he kept a stiff upper lip and mumbled it was some organization stuff. Not that Astrid believed that for a second, but she didn't want to push him as that approach never worked with him. It even made him say less at most times. 

As the house supplies were nearing an end, they decided to do some shopping together and get some fresh food, while there still was a chance of getting it. The beginning of winter was just around the corner, and while meat and some of the food was to be preserved over winter, things like fresh fruits or vegetables wouldn't last long. It almost became a routine for them to walk hand in hand. At first some villagers were gaping at that phenomenon, but after some time they got used to it. Only the Chief seemed to still be giving her a bit of a cold shoulder, eyeing her suspiciously from time to time, though she wasn't sure why that was. 

The market was pretty busy during that time of the day. Astrid was curiously looking around, almost dragging Hiccup along with her. An older woman was walking with a basket full of food when she lost her balance and fell. Hiccup instantly went to her to try and help, but the woman pushed him away harshly. 

"Get away from me. I don't need yer help." The auburn-haired teen was left with his arms half-lifted, and a blank look on his face that turned into a slight frown. The Viking woman stood up, brushing the dust of her dress, and fixed her hair. She grabbed the fortunately-untouched basket and was on her way, fuming in anger. That, however, did not sit well with Astrid. 

"He only wanted to help." The blonde followed after the Berkian woman with her fists balled. The woman turned to her, half surprised that the teen dared to speak at all, half annoyed. 

"Astrid…" Hiccup started quietly to gain her attention, but the blonde ignored him. 

"Mind your own business, girl. You're not the Chieftess yet." The older woman snapped and turned on her heel. Astrid was about to go after her and give her a piece of her mind when a gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her. 

"Don't. It's not worth it." Of course it was worth it, she wanted to argue. Even to wipe that frown from Hiccup's face – it _was_ worth it. She breathed through her nose to calm herself down. The woman had already disappeared in the crowd. 

"Ha! Would you look at that!" The pair turned around to see Snotlout and one of his 'buddies' going their way. His companion was a lot taller than the Jorgenson teen, with short, blonde hair and a masculine posture. They looked pretty amused with what just happened. There goes her calming down. Astrid scowled, ready to snap back or use more than words to get her point across. Hiccup still had his hand on her shoulder in a calming matter, though it wasn't helping much. 

"Tried to be a hero, Useless?" Snotlout crossed his arms and smiled smugly. 

"Yeah, a hero." Snotlout's friend snorted with laughter. He looked pretty proud of himself. The dark-haired teen looked at his friend, annoyed. 

"I just said that, Dogsbreath." That shut the other teen up. Hiccup locked his eyes with Dogsbreath for a quick moment, after which the blond teen averted his gaze and turned his head to the ground. 

"Do you need something, Snotlout?" It sounded like a fairly normal question, though a warning could be heard in the undertone. 

"I don't need anything from you." The short Berkian was about to walk away along with his companion when he stopped and leaned in closer to Astrid. "If you need anything, though, you know where to find me, beautiful." After which he winked. Astrid frowned upon hearing that. She had started to look at him differently after the talk on the ship, yet the guy was trying very hard to _not_ be likable. She turned away from him and saw Hiccup sending his cousin a murderous glare, his fists tightly balled on his sides. It was her turn to put a calming hand on her husband's shoulder. Their history went back years and she doubted she would ever understand why it was the way it was. She felt bad for them, though. As she looked at Snotlout, his eyes held something else beside the arrogance he just displayed, something she couldn't quite place. Was it guilt? Or maybe silent hope that things would get better...? Dogsbreath turned for a second, made a small, barely noticeable bow with his head and went after the other Berkian. Astrid didn't believe that the nod was accidental. 

"He shouldn't have said that to you." Hiccup sighed, not taking his eyes of Snotlout's retreating figure. Astrid gently took one of his hands and squeezed it, sending him a small smile. 

"It's fine. I'm used to those kind of stupid comments by now." 

"But you shouldn't be." He glanced at her with his big eyes. Sometimes they reminded her of those of a child. "You're married and I was just standing there beside you and even then he hit on you. That's-" he was silenced by a soft kiss. 

"You're rambling, Babe." Astrid took a liking in calling the auburn-haired teen that, just like he insisted on calling her "M'lady". She didn't even know where it came from but somehow it fit him in her eyes. Hiccup hadn't protested so it kind of stuck. The taller teen seemed to have calmed down at least a little so Astrid proposed going back home as their shopping was done. Hiccup didn't object. 

* * *

Astrid woke up in an empty bed. Usually it was her that got up earlier, Hiccup's arms securely around her waist and his snores by her ear. She didn't mind that. In fact, she quite enjoyed waking up beside him, as un-Vikingly as it sounded. Now, though, she was alone, and she had no idea where her husband had gone off to. She sat up in the bed, pulling the covers around herself, and rubbed her eyes. The house was completely silent, meaning that Hiccup was not there at all. She narrowed her eyes at a small piece of parchment on his side of bed. 

_Needed to do something. I won't be long. Fishlegs brought some fresh bread._

Astrid glanced over the note once more before putting it back from where she took it. Astrid stretched her arms and got out from under the warm covers. Trying to find something suitable for wearing, she glanced out of the window. It was later than what she was used to when it came to waking up. Most villagers were already up and about, doing their daily jobs. The blonde shut the windows to get dressed. Then something unsettling caught her eye. Hiccup was quite a messy person – blame it on his slightly distracted nature – so it was not the first time that he piled up his clothes in a rush only to fix it later when he came back. That particular pile of clothes, however, moved. Astrid could have just blamed it on her half-asleep state - but it moved again. She grabbed the first thing that was around her, which just so happened to be the modified version of the Book of Dragons that she had started to read just the day before, and crept closer. Astrid breathed out to calm herself and, in one, swift move, she took off the shirt on the top of the pile. The book she had in her hand fell to the ground with a loud thud as something green flew straight towards her face. 

"Odin's ghost!" Astrid yelped as Sharpshot nestled himself on her head. Again. Out of all things that she expected Hiccup to have with his dirty laundry, a Terrible Terror was not one of them. With a grunt she managed to get the stubborn dragon from her head and onto the furs lying on the bed. Astrid put her hands on her hips, sending the dragon her most dangerous glare, but the Terror was playing innocent, looking at the girl with his big eyes. Gods, what was he doing here?! If someone were to visit her or Hiccup and this _trained dragon_ just flew out of their laundry, how much trouble would they get in? Did Hiccup know that Sharpshot was here? 

Astrid resumed dressing herself, the dragon's eyes on her all the time. Being practically naked in front of a Terrible Terror shouldn't be that embarrassing, yet it was. Gods, it was like he judged her with that gaze. The girl shivered and she wasn't sure if that was from the cold or something else entirely. Her stomach rumbled and Astrid remembered that there was supposed to be some fresh bread left for her. As she went to exit the bedroom, Sharpshot decided to join her, sitting on her right shoulder. It felt weird, she'd admit that, but she preferred that over her hair. A loaf of bread was indeed there and Astrid settled on the bench to eat it. The Terror, of course, wanted to join in. 

Astrid removed him from her shoulder and put him beside her. She tore off a piece of bread and dropped it on the ground. As the Terror jumped off the bench, something fell from under the sheepskin. A rugged piece of parchment with writing messier than Hiccup's. With some trouble she managed to read what was on it. 

_Close to the line. Phase two in._

What was _that_ supposed to mean? Just then the door opened and Astrid used her foot to kick the small dragon under the bench. She pressed the dragon further under the seat with her heels. The dragon was trashing around, trying to get out of there. Gods must have been on her side lately because the person that entered the house was Hiccup. Astrid let out a sigh of relief as she loosed her legs. A sharp pain around her right heel made her jump a feet in the air. The fresh bread landed on the floor and the dragon wasted no time to attack what was left of it. 

"That rat! He bit me!" The last thing she needed was a poisonous bite from that little troll. Hiccup finally moved from his spot by the door and quickly trotted to the storage. Astrid sat down on the bench to inspect the bite. She was no healer so she wasn't sure if the little devil's fangs went deep enough for it to be poisonous. She heard Hiccup making some ruckus in the other room and when he finally walked out, he was carrying some material and a flask. Astrid looked up at him in confusion. 

"Hiccup, what are you- gah!" she yelped when the young man sat beside her and, without a warning, yanked her right foot to his chest. He silently observed the bite, looking at it from different angles. Astrid looked to the side, feeling very awkward with her leg practically hanging in front of his face. Gods, it would have looked so weird if someone walked in right then. 

"It's neither poisonous, nor deep. At least I think so." Hiccup finally concluded. Astrid sighed in relief and went to retrieve her stiff leg. She was stopped by Hiccup, though. She sent him a questioning look. 

"I don't know much about healing so there's still the possibility that I'm wrong. I-I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of what I _thought_." With that being said, Hiccup took one of the flask and poured something sticky on her heel. Astrid felt herself gagging at the smell. 

"Gods... what- what _is_ that? It smells horrible..." She went to cover her nose. 

"In case the poison did get inside after all." Hiccup quickly put the mixture onto her bitemark, crinkling his nose at the foul smell. Astrid didn't know that something like that even existed. Perhaps it was something that only the Riders knew about? It was logical that they would have something of that sorts after years of studying dragons. The creatures were a part of their lives and they were bound to know more about them than most Vikings. Hiccup used the material to tie it around her heel, the weird mixture sticking to it in the most uncomfortable way. Astrid could finally take her leg back and sit normally. 

"Um... thanks." she finally muttered. Hiccup sent her a small smile in response. It dissapeared almost instantly as he cleared his throat.

"We, uh... we need to talk." Hiccup's voice became more serious and Astrid's thoughts came back to the note she found by accident. Her husband closed the flask with the smelly substance and gathered what was left of the material. Astrid bit her lip. 

"About?" Hiccup put the things away, finally looking at the girl. 

"Drago's army… it's getting bigger." He said and looked at her. She saw it was worry that was written all over his face. "They're… they're getting closer. Too close." _Close to the line._

"Are you going to attack?" Astrid asked uncertainly as she fiddled with her hands a bit. Hiccup shook his head violently. 

"No, no. That... that would be suicide. His army is twice as big." Astrid felt her stomach drop. That was no good news, not at all. Seeing her worried face, Hiccup took her hands in his. "We have a plan. But we need more people on our side. The heirs from other tribes are already working on it." He looked her dead in the eyes. "I want you to think of who you can trust from your island, who would come over to our side." Astrid bit her lip as she stared at their interwined hands. 

"We're leaving in an hour." Hiccup's voice brought her back to reality. 

"An hour?" Her eyes widened at the words. "But we won't make it back before the sunrise. It took us a week by a boat to get to Berk." Her husband shook his head once again. 

"We're not coming back before sunrise. I talked with my father. Well, more like argued, really. The point is... I-I managed to convince him to let us set out a camp outside in the forest. Alone." Astrid's eyebrow shot up so high, they were almost completely covered by her bangs. 

"And he agreed? Just like that?" She frowned. "Why would he do that? I thought he doesn't trust me." 

"It's not that he doesn't trust you or dislikes you, it's just… hard to explain." Hiccup brought his hand to the back of his neck. "And as for the permission… I-I might've mentioned, uh, ... _hersm_ " He mumbled the last part under his nose so Astrid had trouble understanding it. 

"Mentioned what?" Astrid observed as the other teen's face became redder with each passing second. 

"Heirs." He coughed into his hand but Astrid understood this time, making her face probably as red as Hiccup's. "I-I told him some crap that… eh, it would be better for us to… well, you- you get the idea. I think he was kind of relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about me causing trouble for some time. Plus, with his infinite rants about carrying on the family name – I-I think he agreed to the idea without thinking much about it." It was good that it was still their honeymoon and people didn't expect them to do much beside 'enjoying' the marriage. 

"Oh." Astrid stared at her hands and Hiccup cleared his throat awkwardly. 

"We- we should pack." Astrid felt herself nodding absently at his words. As it turned out, the Terror ate _everything_. He even had the impudence to start _licking_ the floor. She sent the dragon a murderous glare, annoyed with the winged rat for what happened earlier. The couple packed in silence, the awkwardness from before still present in the air. Swinging the bags over their shoulders, they made for the forest. Hiccup made sure that Sharpshot stayed put in one of the bags, bribing him with some food later on. Some of the villagers were looking at the couple weirdly, though most just ignored them, thinking that it was just one of those 'Hiccup things.' If Astrid wanted to join in, let her be. 

"Hey girl." Astrid dropped the bag in the cove and went to greet the Nadder. "We're going to fly. How about that?" Stormfly got all excited upon hearing Astrid's words and the girl couldn't help but chuckle. She was kind of glad that she would be back home, even if for a short period of time. Then again, the reason behind it was far from being good. She felt her stomach clench at the thought of telling someone on Bjargey the truth. Yes, she wanted her family and friends on her side but… there was absolutely no guarantee of how they would react. And Astrid was afraid of seeing people close to her looking at her with disgust or distrust. She feared that looking at her, they would see a traitor. 

"You okay?" Hiccup's voice brought her back to the current situation. He went to hug her and Astrid let herself melt into the embrace. "I know it's hard. I'm sorry for putting you in that situation. I-I wish there was another way... I wish you didn't have to…" 

"It's fine. I was just thinking." Astrid felt horrible lying but he looked so guilty already. He was in an even worse situation and she didn't want to burden him with her worries. He had enough of them himself. She pulled away and squeezed his hand. She tried to smile as convincingly as she could but she also knew that Hiccup wouldn't buy it. One thing Hiccup was most definitely not, was dumb. He kept his mouth shut, though, and Astrid was glad for that. The only thing he did was leave a small kiss on her forehead. 

"You're amazing." He muttered into her hair and she wasn't entirely sure if she was meant to hear that. It warmed her heart, though. She pecked him on the lips. 

"Come on. Bjargey is waiting." He nodded wordlessly. They mounted their dragons and took off. They managed to stay unnoticed as they flew away from a different side of the island. The flight turned out to be a really long one. They had to make a stop twice because both the dragons and the riders needed a break from flying. During the second layover Hiccup proposed to have the bags on Stormfly so that she and Hiccup flew on Toothless. That way Astrid could go to sleep as it was getting dark, and for a new rider like herself, flying that long took its toll. The girl finally agreed to that when she felt her eyelids drooping. Hiccup's chest was warm and comfortable enough, because of which the blonde felt herself falling asleep straight away. Even the fact that she was high in the sky did not affect her. She was actually getting better with it, a fact she was proud of. The last thing she registered were Hiccup's arms around her waist. 

Astrid was woken up after they already arrived at Bjargey. After she rubbed away the last of her sleep, she found herself in a familiar cove. Astrid barely noted that Oili was there along with her furry dragon. It was the middle of the night and the moon was high up in the air, making the surroundings visible. 

"So... have you thought about what I said?" Astrid's half-asleep brain had to think for a moment to get what Hiccup was talking about. _The people you trust, Astrid. Not the heirs._

"Y-yeah, I have a few people in mind." Hiccup nodded, satisfied. He put a hand on her shoulder. 

"You can go with Oili and bring those people to the clearing where we found the Scuttleclaw." The said girl was already at the exit, ready to go. 

"Wait... In the middle of the night? What am I supposed to say to them?" 

"When else would you gather people to tell them about something that needs to be kept a secret?" Oili looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "If those are people you truly trust then they'll listen to you, _even_ if you show up in the middle of the night." Astrid found some truth in it. That, however, didn't make the situation much easier. Her stomach was still clenched with fear. Casting one last look towards Hiccup, she followed Oili into the tunnels that led towards the village of Bjargey. 

The two girls exited the tunnels close to the village. After they agreed to meet there as soon as they got to the people, they parted their ways. As Astrid sneaked into the rooms of people she thought could be trusted, her hands shook uncontrollably. Relief flooded her when no one screamed or ran to tell everybody that she was there. Sure, they were surprised (shocked was a better word,) to see the girl that was supposed to be far away from Bjargey in their room, but when Astrid told them that it was very important and that they had to follow her, they did as they were told. When the blonde arrived with the four people she decided to take with her, Oili was already waiting for them. Astrid recognized girl's two older brothers, aunt, and uncle. The shorter Rider nodded and turned around towards the direction of the clearing. 

"Astrid, what's going on?" She rarely ever heard her brother so uncertain, though she could understand the hesitance. She would be worried too if she were in his place.

"You'll see. It's… it's complicated. You just have to trust me with this." The Hofferson girl quickened her pace a bit to reach Oili. The girl seemed nervous as well and upon seeing Astrid beside her seemed to have relaxed a bit. 

"Didn't bring your parents with you either?" she chuckled nervously. Astrid let herself smile a little. 

"Yeah, I don't think they're ready." She thought about bringing her parents with her but decided against it. She felt guilty because she brought Iona with her but not her mother or father. She felt that her mother's friend would be a bit more understanding. Solveig would have freaked out surely, and her father… She didn't know how Egil would have reacted. Astrid thought that maybe when she had her brother on their side as well, their parents would be more willing to listen, to understand. The other two people she took with her were the twins. At first the blonde wanted to bring only Ruffnut, but wherever was Ruff, there was Tuff as well. The twins were chattering with excitement the whole way. Astrid let out a shaky breath - they were close to their destination. It was now or never. She slowed down for others to catch up with her. Despite her own nervousness, she sent a small, uncertain smile towards them. 

They reached the well-known clearing and Astrid felt her heart beating furiously. In the middle of the forest glade was Hiccup. He was barely visible in the darkness but she recognized him anyway. Astrid noticed that he changed into his usual black armour and had his mask on. She saw Stormfly trotting towards her. At first she didn't know how to react but as the blue-yellow Nadder came closer, the girl instinctively reached to pet the dragon. Stormfly, happy to see her rider, licked the blonde's cheek enthusiastically. The girl laughed softly despite the stares she received. She saw Oili doing the same with Icecone. 

"…A-Astrid?" The said girl turned around towards her brother and swallowed hard. Gunnar and Iona had an unreadable expression on their face. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were looking at her in shock. The people that Oili brought had a similar reaction. 

_Well, here goes nothing._

 **A/N:**

 **[1] Vikings didn't have almonds 'naturally', though I read somewhere that they imported them from somewhere else. Since it's fiction, though, I'm going to stick with almonds being something fairly unknown, for Astrid at least.**

 **That is the longest chapter that I have posted. That monster has over 6 000 words. :D And the story has now over 200 reviews. How cool is that? :)**

 **Guest 1** **: I can somehow understand where you are coming from. I like some things about Heather but not all of them. For example, I like her brother/sister relationship with Hiccup (because I've never seen it as a romantic one) and I like her friendship with Astrid. I do think, however, that the whole drama with Astrid keeping a secret from Hiccup for Heather – that made me cringe slightly because I felt it was completely unnecessary. That's my opinion, though. ;)** **If I counted correctly Heather will appear about three (I'm not sure?) times more BUT she is NOT the main character by any means so her role is not that important. I hope that you will keep reading, though. :)**

 **Guest 2** **: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. I guess that they made some progress in the shyness department in this chapter. :P Probably the whole Drago reveal was kind of easy to predict but, yeah, I hope you liked it. And the plot thickens – there will be more action now. :D**

 **Alicia** **: I touched the topic of Heather in the first answer and how I feel about her. :) I really like the brotherly way Hiccup acts towards Heather – I have a weak spot for that and I like stories that make them siblings. There's just something about it. I hope the chapter was worth the wait. ;)**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	18. The Beginning Of The End

**Hello, peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How To Train Your Dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **And now – enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 18**

 **The one with the beginning of the end**

Astrid was anxious. 

Words seemed to have been stuck in her throat. She didn't know how to answer her brother. Or any other person that she took with her. The girl cast a look towards Hiccup but he was still invisible to the others. The Nadder cocked her big head to the side, curiously observing the Bjargey villagers. The people were obviously waiting for the dragon to attack but Astrid knew that Stormfly would never do such thing. At least not without a good reason. Now she only needed to convince _them_ that it was the truth. She expected someone to try and attack them but, surprisingly enough, no one moved, too stunned by the image of their close ones _petting_ the creatures that used to raid their homes. They didn't look angry or disgusted, just… shocked. And that made it even worse for Astrid. Deciding it was the right time, Hiccup slowly got out of the darkness and stood beside her and Oili. Astrid restrained herself from grasping his hand. Gods, that would have looked so bad… A flash of acid green in the forest made her believe that Toothless was not far away. 

Some of the people seemed to had woken up from the trance. Astrid felt as if everything was slowed down. Her brother looked at her in disbelief and shaking his head, he took a step back. Astrid wanted to say something to him, _anything_ , but she found herself unable to. She felt disgusted with herself– Astrid Hofferson, frozen in _fear_. Fear of what her brother thought of her in that moment, of his deafening silence and judging stare. It was not supposed to go this way. From the corner of her eye, she saw Oili's oldest brother, Olaf, unsheathing a knife. Her body finally moved but it was Oili that got to the young man first. 

"No! No… don't." She held up her thin arms in the attempt to stop her sibling. 

"Oili, what in the name of Hel are you _doing_?! That's the Dragon Master!" He pushed away his sister's restraining arms. Hiccup stood calmly, not moving a muscle. Astrid had the urge to slap him on the back of his head. What if Olaf actually managed to get to him? How can he just _stand_ there? She really wished she could see his face right now. The blonde saw Oili taking a deep breath. 

"He… he doesn't mean any harm, Olaf." Oili said weakly. She moved to stand between her brother and Hiccup, facing the former. Olaf gripped the knife tighter as he gazed at his sister in a mix of disbelief, betrayal and anger. 

"Do you even hear yourself?!" he asked through clenched teeth. The man shook his head angrily and pointed at Hiccup. "He's the man that had been attacking our _home_!" Olaf went to grip his sister's arms, his face now mostly concerned. The Viking's blue eyes were wide-opened as he scanned his younger sibling. The usually strong and deep voice cracked notably at the next words. "What did he do to you? You-you can tell me. Did he threaten you? _Used_ you? O-Oili, please…" 

"I didn't threaten anyone." Hiccup's words cut through the tense air like the sharpest knife. "They joined because they wanted to. " Everyone's gazes fell on the man cladded in black armor. Astrid shifted slightly. Hiccup's voice, yet not his at all. It sounded deeper, darker. It reminded Astrid of when Eret, son of Eret, had been captured. She wasn't sure if the change of voice was intentional or not. Either way, she doubted anyone would recognize it. Especially since the people there had barely any contact with Berk's heir. They only saw bits of him a few weeks ago. Hiccup folded his arms across his armored chest. "I asked them to gather people they trust. They've chosen you, apparently." Astrid could only imagine the skeptical look her husband was giving Olaf. 

"What… what do you _want_ from us?!" Her brother's voice took her by surprise. He was shaking, she could clearly see that even in the moon's dim light. The girl wasn't sure if it was from anger or fear. Despite that, he managed to keep his voice even and his face successfully masked his feelings. For the most part, anyway. Astrid, as a person that lived with Gunnar for fifteen years, could see that the emotionless face and voice were very hard for him to uphold. In that moment she just wanted to run up to him and embrace her brother. She wanted to explain everything to him, but how could she do that if she didn't quite understand it herself yet? 

"I want your help." Hiccup stated calmly, not batting an eye from the harsh stares he received after that statement. The twins snorted loudly in the background, muttering something along the lines of " _good one_ ". They clearly thought it was a joke. And, honestly, it sounded absurd. Dragon Master, _the_ Dragon Master, wanted _help_? Oili's aunt and uncle glanced at each other uncertainly and the girl's second older brother, whose name Astrid couldn't remember for the life of hers, narrowed his eyes, his fingers closer to his belt where a weapon was surely hidden. 

"And why exactly would we do that? Why would we want to help a _vermin_ such as yourself?" Astrid winced and she saw Oili's face forming into a grimace as well. Hiccup's fingers kept twitching. He stared at the young Ahlberg for a few seconds, his body almost completely still except for the hands by his sides. Astrid expected Hiccup to say something, to convince the people with his calm yet persuasive words. Instead, the eighteen-year old turned around and made a series of weird, clicking noises. 

"What is he-" 

_SNAP_

A crush could be heard from somewhere near them. Then another. As if some kind of an animal was stumbling through the woods. And it was coming their way. Another snapped branch, this time from a different side of the forest. People started looking around themselves, not knowing what was the source of the weird noises. Whatever it was, the Dragon Master was the one that had the control over it. Oili's second brother finally reached his belt and took out a knife. It wasn't anything special but it was better than nothing. Bringing their usual, more dangerous weapons was not the top priority when they hastily left the house. Astrid narrowed her eyes to see better in the darkness. 

Another snap and a black dragon slowly came out, his suspicious, narrowed eyes wandering over all the people in the clearing. His long tail swished across the grass as the muscled creature moved with grace and refinement only _the_ Night Fury could possess. Hiccup caressed a hand over the dragon's smooth scales, causing the reptile to purr. Astrid's lips unconsciously quirked upwards at the gesture. The other Bjargey villagers looked baffled and nervous because of the Night Fury's presence. When Toothless locked his eyes with Astrid, his snout softened even more and the ear flaps on his head travelled higher. 

"I want your help," Hiccup looked up again. "because good dragons in the control of bad people do bad things… I'm not talking about us. It seems you have a wrong perception of what we _actually_ do." He sent Oili's brothers a pointed look. Olaf snorted loudly. 

"Attack our homes? Destroy our defenses? Isn't _that_ what you do?" Olaf hissed with venom. Astrid sighed inwardly and closed her eyes for a moment. No, it was not going the way it was supposed to. Toothless, sensing the young male's hostility, let out a low growl. The eighteen-year old just shrugged and scratched the Night Fury's head in a calming manner. 

"If you had thought about it, you would have noticed that the only thing we do is rescuing the caged dragons. We have never killed anyone and any destruction in the village is from when we _had_ to defend ourselves." The black dragon glared at Olaf in distrust, his growls less aggressive for now. Hiccup continued in a stronger voice. "If you had drawn any conclusions from the so-called 'attacks', you would have stopped torturing those poor creatures." 

"Poor creatures?" Oili's aunt asked in disbelief. " What about the raids? All the people that died because of them?" Astrid winced at her words. She was right, to some extent. The blonde teen could obviously see the reason behind those people's anger and confusion. She felt that way for a long time. But they didn't understand, they didn't know… 

"They are the ones that stopped the raids." Astrid finally found herself able to speak. All eyes turned on her and she balled her fists. She would not cower under their judgmental stares. 

"How?" A single word, yet so loaded as well. It was the first time Iona said anything since she agreed to come with Astrid. Hiccup shifted slightly so that he was leaning on his right leg. It meant that his stump was bothering him. He was still reluctant to talk about his leg but Astrid learnt to see those subtle signs that concerned the missing limb. She quashed the need to come up to him and offer help. 

"We- we killed the queen." Oili answered uncertainly. The response got Olaf's interest. 

"A Queen…" he muttered under his breath. "There's a nest, right?" he asked heatedly. His sister opened her mouth to respond but Hiccup stopped her before she did. 

" _Was_ a nest." he said sharply. "We freed the dragons from her control. " He took a step closer which made the villagers grow tense. The auburn-haired teen analyzed the eight people before him and slowly moved towards Gunnar. It was a bizarre thing to see for Astrid. Her husband was much taller than her brother. Hiccup reached out for Gunnar's arm but the younger teen backed away immediately. 

"I'm not going to harm you. You don't have to be afraid of me." Hiccup's voice turned softer, much more alike his usual tone. Gunnar's eyes flickered to his older sister. Astrid nodded to him with confidence, a small, encouraging smile on her face. It was now or never. The eighteen-year old kept his gaze on Gunnar. 

"What do you want from me?" her brother asked, his voice barely a whisper. 

" I want to _show_ you something." Astrid saw her brother swallowing hard. Hiccup gestured with his hand for Gunnar to follow him. The blond boy looked around himself and, reluctantly, did as he was asked. Astrid felt her heart beating furiously in her chest. As if on que, another dragon came out of the forest. It was quite big and colorful, a mixture of vivid colors- green, blue and purple- with a white underbelly. The dragon had a nasal horn and a big chin, with eyes and front paws disproportionately smaller. It had a sail running across its back and a big, thick tail. Astrid vaguely remembered reading about it in Fishlegs' Dragon Book. The dragon titled its head curiously as Hiccup held out his palm. The reptile closed its small eyes and pressed its snout into the young man's hand, purring softly. As Hiccup pulled back, he grabbed Gunnar's hand. Astrid's brother didn't protest as he stared wide-eyed at the dragon who had yet to act aggressively. Hiccup pressed the boy's hand in the place where his own was seconds before. The dragon purred into Gunnar's shaking palm and her brother let out a shaky breath, not taking his eyes off the dragon. 

Astrid felt a nudge. She turned to see Stormfly waiting for some affection. The blonde stroked the Nadder absently as she watched her brother do the same with the other dragon. She felt some weight drop from her shoulders when she saw Gunnar wearing the same look of amazement that she had when she first touched a dragon. 

"That's a Thunderclaw. Tracker class." Hiccup said while patting the dragon's side. He came to its left side and Astrid only then saw that the Thunderclaw didn't have a left front paw. She felt a wave of sympathy towards the creature. "They tortured him for over nine years, amputated his paw and shredded his wing." The dragon twitched uncomfortably and Astrid somehow _felt_ he was embarrassed. Hiccup's words had some effect after all because a bit of the previous hostility had worn off. Gunnar was observing the dragon curiously. 

"Drago and his army are not a light matter." Whispers broke out – most people, the older ones especially, remembered who Drago was and what he did. "They torture not only dragons but also humans. I've met _hundreds_ of people that were victims of his inhumane methods, myself being one as well." People exchanged glances between each other. _If_ this man was right about Drago having an actual _army_ this time, they were in a big trouble. Hiccup took a few steps closer, his prosthetic leg clanging. Only now the metal attached to his leg seemed to have brought their attention. 

"I asked Astrid and Oili," he looked at the girls "to bring people they trust, so I can ask you for help." He pronounced every word carefully and slowly. His voice was calm yet commanding and maybe that was what made the people standing before him listen. "Drago's army officially crossed the Archipelago's borders. We've been fighting him off for over ten years but even we are not capable of keeping him out. He has hundreds upon _hundreds_ of people following him and although we have a lot of Riders of our own, it's still not enough. I'm asking you for help… because Drago _will_ start a war and if we keep ourselves in small groups, tribes, islands - we won't win. He'll just destroy us one after another." Seeing the uncertain faces he added. 

"We want the same thing you do – peace- but with dragons as well." He shook his head. "We would never want for there to be a war... We want the Archipelago safe but not only for people. It's time to bury the hatchet and don't flatter yourself – Drago will not be merciful for those who are against us. He will kill you _and_ your close ones and he will _enjoy_ seeing your home burn to the ground." Astrid saw Hiccup shaking, his hands gesturing madly as he spoke. His words had a strong impact on the people standing in the clearing. By his tone it was clear that he believed in what he said. Some things could not be faked. The teen continued in a calmer voice. "We fought off the Outcasts and Berserkers while you stayed safe on your islands. We're _not_ the enemy." Hiccup stressed the last part. Gunnar seemed to have been deep in thought, his gaze kept on the ground. The boy raised his head and looked at the Thunderclaw before him and then at his sister. 

"Is what he says true?" Astrid saw it was her chance to convince her brother. She hoped that they could finally saw the Riders not as enemies but more as some kind of secret guardians. 

"Yes Gun." The blonde started softly, smiling at her brother. "There can be peace with dragons. I- I've had some trouble believing it at first but… they showed me I was wrong. And I'm glad they did." She said the last part while glancing at her husband. Gunnar once again looked at the dragon and held out his hand. After sniffing it, the Thunderclaw nudged it with his snout, purring softly. The young boy furrowed his brow in concentration. 

"If you say so – I-I believe you." Astrid felt a weight being lifted from her heart upon hearing that. She breathed a small sigh of relief. The girl glanced at the seven people that had yet to voice their opinion. 

"If it means we get to have our own dragon to blow stuff up-" Astrid's eyes widened at the sound of Ruff's voice. 

"Then we're in!" Tuffnut finished and the twins banged their helmets together. Astrid felt herself smiling wider. Looking at her girl-best friend she saw the skinny teen returning the gesture. She... she had their support. She knew Ruffnut was aware that it wouldn't be all fun and explosions. Astrid was even more appreciative of her friend's decision. 

"Do you really believe there can be peace?" Olaf asked skeptically, his uncertain, blue eyes staring at the Thunderclaw. What he saw this evening was against everything he had ever been taught. Oili was looking at him and her other brother with so much hope, Astrid felt bad for her. Gunnar had already agreed to give dragons a chance but what if the Ahlberg siblings turned their backs on Oili? 

"If we work together, not against each other, then yes, of course." Hiccup nodded and Oili followed. 

"Olaf, Sven, we… _I_ need your help. Drago is close… What if-if he reaches Bjargey? Mum… dad…" her voice visibly shook as she spoke. The girl shook her head. "Dragons are our only chance." 

The brothers looked at each other and then at their sister. 

"If-if we die – it's on you." Oili let out a small laugh and ran up to hug them. When she pulled away, she looked at her uncle and aunt expectantly and went to hug them as well when they slowly nodded. Both of them were quite young- just over twent years old, so Oili and their siblings had a quite good and loose relationship with them. Something like Astrid and Iona. Speaking of which… Iona was standing at the end with her hands on her hips, smirk on her face and a raised eyebrow. 

"Ye sure take after yer father as for the leadership skills." Astrid looked up confused. 

"But I-" she started but her mother's friend stopped her. 

"I wasn't talking about ye, Astrid. I was referring to the Haddock boy there." Upon Astrid's surprised face, Iona's smirk grew bigger. Everyone turned to look at the Dragon Master, calmly standing in the clearing. The eighteen-year old titled his head slightly sideways, waiting for what would happen next. 

"Wait? Haddock?" Ruffnut's eyebrows shot upwards as the realization struck her. Astrid half-suspected for Hiccup to try and deny his real identity but he made no move in that direction whatsoever. Actually, he stood silent the whole time. 

"My nephew is a Rider. Let's just say he ain't as good at keeping secrets as he thinks he is." Iona explained with a smile. Astrid turned to her surprised. 

"You knew the whole time?" That was something the blonde teen didn't expect. At all. Iona was always so calm, so quiet. She would've never suspected that the middle-aged woman was aware of what was going on. Then again, Astrid would never figured out that Hiccup of all people was the Dragon Master if the teen hadn't shown her himself. 

"Well, now I feel stupid." The auburn-haired teen said with some humor in his voice and his hands went to unclasp the helmet. As soon as the mask was removed and the identity of the Dragon Master was confirmed, gasps could be heard. Astrid was pretty sure no one expected the wimpy son of Stoick the Vast the be one of the most feared people in the Archipelago. If it were a different situation, the blonde girl would have laughed at her friends' and brother's shocked expressions. With their mouths hanging wide-open and their eyes the size of plates, they looked pretty comical. 

"Awesome." She heard Ruffnut breathing out. Hiccup looked at her with a raised eyebrow and sent Astrid what appeared to be a smug smile. The said girl rolled her eyes, smiling nonetheless. The auburn-haired teen put his hands on his hips. 

"So… who's next? 

* * *

Astrid had always been a light sleeper – it was necessary when Dragon Raids could happen at any time – so she immediately felt when Hiccup got out of the bed, or rather the pile of furs under which they were sleeping. The girl lazily turned to the other side, only to find it empty. When she cracked her eyes open, Astrid saw her husband getting dressed in his black armor. It was still a bit dark outside which made Astrid confused as to why Hiccup got up so early. 

"What are you doing?" she muttered into the fur. The taller teen, clearly not expecting the girl to be awake, jumped slightly. 

"I need some things to attend to elsewhere." He sat on the pile of furs beside her and started reattaching his leg. He pulled some straps and looked at her. "I didn't mean to wake you up, sorry." 

"Wait – you were going to leave? Just like that?" the blonde felt hurt that Hiccup wanted to leave her on Bjargey without saying a word. She thought he trusted her but apparently she was wrong. He didn't expect her to deal with all the new people by herself, did he? Sure, yesterday they managed to get eight more people on their side, three of which already had a proposed dragon – Gunnar on the Thunderclaw and the twins on a Hideous Zippleback – but that was it. With a promise that they'd meet the next night and that no one would tell anything, the people slowly made their way back home, though she doubted anyone fell asleep easily after what they saw. The two of them and the dragons returned back to the cove and set up a camp after that. Astrid heard Hiccup sigh. 

"I didn't want to wake you up. I would've left a note or something." Still, Astrid didn't feel satisfied. 

"Why do you have to leave?" she asked instead. He turned to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. Astrid shivered slightly at Hiccup's cold touch. 

"I need to see how it went on other islands. I have to go to Berk and do the same thing there that I did here." 

"Maybe I can go with you then?" the blonde shyly proposed, though she was pretty sure what the answer would be. She was proven right when Hiccup shook his head. 

"You're needed here M'lady." He sent her a small smile. "They trust you the most. I've already talked to Oili, she knows what to do while I'm absent. I'm leaving Sharpshot with you. In case something happens, he'll find me." He made a move to stand up but Astrid got a hold of his hand. 

"When will you be back?" her voice sounded small, smaller than usual. She didn't know what he expected her to do while he was away. She could never be as diplomatic as he was. She could never persuade the people the way he could. Hiccup made an unsure face. 

"It won't take longer than a week. We have to get to Berk by then." He leaned closer to her and emerald green eyes met baby blue ones. "I promise, I'll be back as soon as I can." With that he locked his lips with her. What meant to be a simple peck turned out to be something more passionate, more desperate. When they parted to get some air, the auburn-haired rider left a kiss on the blonde's forehead and sent her one last smile before leaving the tent. Astrid laid a bit more, unable to go back sleep. She vaguely heard the Night Fury taking off. She must've dozed off, though, because she was woken up by Oili and it was already bright by then. Together, the girls formulated a plan of what to do next. Apparently that evening not only the people from the other night were supposed to come, but also the trusted people of other Bjargey's Riders. Not all of them at the same time, of course. It would be impossible to manage that way. Apart from Stormfly and Oili's Icecone there were a few other dragons in the cove as well. The Thunderclaw that her brother petted, the Zippleback, two Monstrous Nightmares, a Timberjack and a Horn Runner **[1].**

The last dragon was the most interesting one, in Astrid's mind. It was a medium-sized dragon, but what made the dragon special was the lack of wings… and eyes. It depended solely on the smell to move but boy, it could sniff out anything and anyone. Thanks to strong, muscled front and back paws the dragon was quite fast as well. The Runner had a horn both on top of his head and on his chin. A row of spines ran threw the whole length of its body, including the creature's long tail. It was blue with purple tinting. 

Astrid spent her day getting to know the dragons better and talking with Oili. The younger girl was a much better company than Astrid first assumed, for which she was honestly glad. The evening came by quickly and both Astrid and Oili went to the well-known clearing. They decided that Oili would take the people from the other night to the cove and begin their dragon training there, while Astrid stayed to greet and convince the newcomers. They figured they'd be more willing to listen if Astrid was there too. It would be other Riders that would do most of the talking, though. After her brother and friends left with the strawberry-blond girl, Astrid took a deep breath. She could already hear another group of Bjargey villagers getting closer. She felt Stormfly nudging her, trying to reassure the blonde. The girl sent her a weary smile. 

_Here we go._

* * *

The next five days were pretty eventful. Along with Oili and other Dragon Riders (Astrid found out there actually were quite few of them on Bjargey), they managed to convince a total of twenty-eight new people to join their case. During the last few days new dragons had arrived so that the beginners could start bonding with their dragons under the cover of night. Astrid and the others were lucky because they got by without an incident, though sometimes it wasn't that easy. The other Riders brought the people they trusted the most, so they were easier to convince. Plus, people were tired of fighting and when they saw there was a way to stop it – they took it. Sure, the people weren't all about loving dragons but they gave them a chance and that was more than she coud have hoped for. Nothing was heard from Hiccup and no one used Sharpshot to sent any messages, though the winged rat, as Astrid started calling him, hardly ever left the former Bjargey heir's side. 

When Astrid, Oili and some other people on their side weren't training the Bjargey people, the blonde girl learned new ways of how to train, or rather cal, a dragon. Some of the things she had been showed, she would have never figured out on her own. For example, Oili told her of one of the dragons' bigger fears, which, surprisingly, turned out to be eels. Only dragons called Typhoomerangs were immune to it and, in fact, they were their main source of food. Astrid found out about 'Dragon Nip' which a type of grass not advisable to eat for humans. It subdued the dragons, made them calmer. Another thing which had a similar effect was fire. No real surprise there. The more similar you behaved or looked to a dragon, the more trustworthy you became in their eyes. If that didn't work, a tricks of light could be used as a distraction. Hiccup mentioned some of the things but they never really tried it as learning to fly was their main focus. 

Astrid was proud of her brother and friends. All four people she trusted with the secret got along with the dragons just fine – better than the girl expected actually. Gunnar had really bonded with the Thunderclaw and Astrid was very glad for that. The twins and the Zippleback were a bit more troublesome, but that was caused by the siblings' unpredictable nature. Astrid was happy for how the things were going, though she was a bit disappointed that she hardly ever got to talk with her brother or Ruff – she missed it. The girl was very pleased when Gunnar brought her some of her old clothes. She didn't necessarily like the dresses she had to wear as a married woman – her old clothes were _so_ much more comfortable. She even started braiding her hair the old way despite knowing that she shouldn't. The only time Astrid was able to spend some time with the twins or her brother, was during the two secret meetings in the middle of the night and even then she was quite busy, as other people saw her as some kind of a leader (not that she wasn't fluttered by that). 

"I missed you." Gunnar said as they sat by a tree in the clearing from their childhood. Ignoring the risks, the sibling decided to meet up during the day. She felt so happy after training with her brother. In the past few weeks, she didn't have much time to think about home but now it hit her how much she missed it. 

"I missed you too, Gun." Astrid smiled wildly and punched her brother in the arm. Gunnar let out a laugh at the well-known gesture. Silence came over them but the siblings were used to it. They didn't need words, the company was enough. The blond boy shifted so that he was facing his sister. 

"Are – are you okay?" That got a raised eyebrow from Astrid, the girl not really sure what he meant by that. Gunnar hesitated before adding. "With, you know, _Hiccup_. Does he treat you well? Should I be concerned? Because if he makes you do anything that you don't want to-" 

"Gunnar, slow down." Astrid put her hands on her brother's shoulders. "Hiccup doesn't make me do anything that I don't wish to do. I told you the truth when I said he showed me the good in dragons, you saw it too, right?" Her brother nodded uncertainly. 

"But he lied to us. All of us. How do you know he's not lying now as well?" That was something that was still present at the back of Astrid's mind, though she couldn't possibly imagine it all being a one, big lie. Not after she saw the Edge, after she met all those people, all the dragons. 

"I trust him." She simply said with a light smile. " And you should too. If not him, then me." Gunnar only hummed in response. 

"How's dad? And mom?" Astrid pulled away from her brother. Gunnar frowned slightly. 

"They miss you. A lot. Like all of us do." He answered with a shrug. "Are we going to tell them? About, you know, all this." The teen gestured to both of them. Astrid didn't how to answer that as she wasn't sure herself. She would love to tell her parents, show them the truth, but the girl didn't know if her parents would be as understanding as her brother. If Hiccup was telling the truth about the upcoming danger, then she supposed it would be necessary for the Chiefs from the Barbaric Archipelago to know. It was only a matter of time. 

"Let's just wait for now. See what Hiccup has to say." She looked at the sky and almost had a heart attack when a black speck flickered in the sky. It was too big to be a bird for sure. 

"He's back." She whispered and a small smile made its way on her face as she darted off in the direction of the cove, her brother following after her. 

**A/N:**

 **[1] No, it's not a dragon that exist in the canon. The idea of that just popped into my head. ;)**

 **Guest 1** **: I am? You surprised me with that, to be honest. I was never able to build tension well but I'm glad you think that I do. :D And yes, stuff is about to get very,** _ **very**_ **real. The last chapter was a bit more light-hearted but now things will get tiny bit more serious. That's the plan at least. ;)**

 **Guest 2 :** **Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this one too. :D**

 **Sighttobehold** **: I'm so happy you enjoy the story so much. To be honest, one of the reasons I'm a bit later is that I… don't like this chapter much. So... I tried to change things but it didn't feel enough. So I changed again. And so on and so on. I'm still not fully satisfied but it's better-ish.**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	19. The Fire and Ice

**Welcome back peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Once again, _enormous_ thanks to** **residentmotherhen** **for proofreading and making some suggestions for this chapter. :D**

 **CHAPTER 19**

 **The one with fire and ice**

Astrid was excited  
.

As she ran through the Bjargey forest, she couldn't stop the smile that was growing on her face. Hiccup was back, and as much as she wanted to deny it, she had missed him while he was away. 

"Astrid! W-wait up!" Her brother's voice echoed behind her. Wait… Gunnar? In the rush of excitement, Astrid hadn't even considered that the boy might follow her. It was logical that he would, though, especially since she darted off without explaining what exactly happened. Astrid slowed down her pace, allowing her brother to catch up. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest as she tried to calm herself. Closing her eyes, she leaned on one of the trees and breathed in the scent of the forest around her. The faint smell of wild twinflowers hit her nose. With some uneasiness, she noted that the reason why she ran off was because _he_ was back. The need to see him took over her body, blurred her thoughts and silenced her reasoning. Her eyes flew open at the sound of Gunnar approaching. His short, blond hair got messy from the running and his cheeks were slightly flushed. He gazed at her as if she completely lost her mind. 

Maybe she did. 

"What-what the _heck_ , Astrid?!" he gasped out quickly. Astrid's eyes fell to the ground, suddenly aware of the ridiculousness of her actions. She swallowed. 

"He's back." Gunnar continued to stare at her, the confusion still very much visible in his eyes. 

"He?" Her brother furrowed his brow. "Who is- Do you mean Hiccup?" Astrid found herself tapping the tree impatiently as she gave a curt nod. 

"I saw Toothless." She pulled away and started moving towards the cove. The confusion on Gunnar's face was still present but she had no time to explain in all to him. She needed to reach the cove, see _him_ , embrace _him_. Her mind was set on one thing and she was thankful that her brother didn't press the matter any further. They cut through the forest in silence. 

As it turned out, Hiccup had not come by himself. The girl from the Edge, Heather from what Astrid remembered, was there too. As soon as Toothless spotted the blonde girl, he bounced happily towards her. An involuntary chuckle escaped her mouth upon seeing the Night Fury acting like an overgrown puppy. She managed to avoid the reptile's slimy tongue and went on to give him a scratch on the forehead. 

"Yeah, yeah. I missed you too." The dragon crooned and she rolled her eyes with a smile. Then she looked up. All eyes were on her and she cleared her throat, straightening her back. With some worry, she noted that the others didn't look happy. 

"A-Astrid." Hiccup seemed surprised for some reason. The girl raised her eyebrow as she saw that he managed to sport a small beard while he was away. Another thing that made Hiccup different from the stereotypical Viking was that he preferred to shave. And if she were to be completely honest, she liked him that way better as well. He must have been really busy if he let it grow this much. Focusing on the task at hand, she crossed her arms across her chest. 

"What's going on?" Oili and Heather glanced at each other quickly but Astrid saw it anyway. All three of them had unreadable expressions on their faces, but she knew that something was wrong. Hiccup's left hand went to rub the back of his neck and then chin. Finally, he let out a sigh, his hand dropping by his side. 

"We need to talk." He said in a grave tone. His emerald green eyes landed on her brother. Gunnar had been so silent, she almost forgot he was there. Knitting his brows, the boy pursed his lips tightly, his distrusting gaze focused on her husband. Hiccup cleared his throat before adding. "In private." 

He turned on his heel and went towards the tent in which Astrid stayed during her stay on Bjargey. She glanced at Gunnar and saw him biting his lip. She could see the question and worry in his eyes. Astrid reached to squeeze his arm reassuringly, sending him a small smile. She followed her husband, leaving her brother with the two girls. The married couple reached the tent on the other side of the cove. Lifting the material, Hiccup gestured for her to come inside. The tent was quite spatial, the furs laid in the middle and some of the things she brought with herself were strewn around. Seeing it now, Astrid regretted she had not found a minute to tidy it up a bit. She lowered herself to the furs, her body slightly more relaxed now. Sharpshot, who was sleeping there at the time, woke up and moved to Astrid's lap. She fought the urge to push him away as soon as he got there; she wasn't Sharpshot's biggest fan, especially not after he bit her. Hiccup was right when he said that the bite wasn't poisonous, thank the Gods for that, but it still was quite frustrating to walk with her foot trussed up with material. 

Her husband plopped beside her and gave the green Terrible Terror a scratch, making the small rat purr in delight. He then lifted his hand to Astrid's chin and kissed her. Astrid, albeit a bit surprised, returned the gesture with equal vigor. His grown stubble was scratching her cheek slightly and she couldn't say that she liked this rough feeling, but it was him and he was there with her. And that was what mattered the most. He smelled different; like burnt wood, but she didn't mind. 

"I'm proud of you." He said while he softly ran his thumb over her cheek. She let herself smile a little at the praise. It didn't last long as a frown replaced it soon enough. 

"What happened?" she locked her gaze with his. Astrid tried to analyze his face to figure out what was going on. Hiccup pulled away slightly, his hand leaving her cheek. Seeing the uncertainty on his face, she added in a more serious voice. "Tell me the truth, Hiccup." He rubbed his face using his other hand and sighed. 

"Drago has gotten closer." Astrid's stomach twisted at the news. She kind of expected for it to happen, though. Hiccup hesitated a bit before taking her hands in his and squeezing them slightly. The girl looked down at their joined hands and then back at Hiccup. He had gotten a new cut below the scar on his left eye; she hadn't noticed that before. 

"But we also gathered more people. About twenty on Berk, including Gobber." he added trying to sound more cheerful. "We are growing in numbers, that's good." He paused before continuing. "But I'm afraid it's still not enough. Astrid," the said girl raised her eyebrows upon hearing her name, "the people you gathered in the past week are the beginning. The next thing you– we, need to do, is convince the Chiefs." Upon hearing that her eyes widened slightly. 

" _What_?" she knew it would happen sooner than later, but she had never suspected it would come that fast. That could only mean that the situation was very serious. She briefly wondered what would have happened if her father hadn't arranged the marriage with Hiccup. Where would she be now? Perhaps she would still be living unaware of the truth, of dragons' real beauty, of their compassionate nature. But then what would be Bjargey's role in fighting against Drago? Would Hiccup fly there and convince the islanders anyway? She was glad that it turned out the way it did. She knew of the upcoming danger in advance and it gave her the chance to prepare for it better. She had the opportunity to protect her home from this… monster of a man. 

"I know it will be hard," Hiccup continued, snapping Astrid from her thoughts. "but if we can convince the Chiefs, then we can convince whole tribes, whole islands. " Hiccup exclaimed with fire in his voice and his hands gesturing wildly in the air. She recognized the spark in his eyes – he always got it when he talked about dragons or some new invention. Putting his warm hands on her arms, he continued in a bit calmer voice. "There are over thirty people on Bjargey that are with us – they are the added support." 

"When?" she straightened her back as the young man pulled away. Hiccup swallowed, tapping his chin in concentration. 

"In two days. At night." He finally said. His green eyes wandered over her face. "Bring your father, and only him, to Dragon's Edge." That was not a lot of time, not at all, Astrid realized. "Stormfly knows how to get there so you don't have to worry about that." That was the least of her worries right now, she thought. Convincing the 'Fearless' Egil Hofferson, a ferocious dragon killer, that what he was fighting his whole life was actually friendly, would most certainly _not_ be easy. 

"I'd go with you but… I-I have my own father to convince, which I'm sure won't be easy." He cringed at the mere thought of that, his hand once again going to his neck. If convincing her father would be hard, she couldn't imagine how difficult it would be for Hiccup. She, at least, had a good relationship with Egil. The same couldn't be said for Stoick the Vast and his son, unfortunately. 

"But before all that – I want to take you somewhere." He clapped his hands together, happy to change the subject. Astrid raised an eyebrow, curious as to what that crazy husband of hers was up to now. 

"Where are we going?" She stood up after Hiccup, Sharpshot evidently not happy that his nap was cut short. Astrid would be lying if she said that she felt bad for the small dragon. They exited the tent and Hiccup gave a small wave to Heather. Even from the distance, Astrid noticed Gunnar looking at her questioningly. A shrug was her only response – she didn't know where they were going either. Oili leaned closer to Gunnar, who under normal circumstances would be blushing furiously, and said something to him, probably explaining the current situation. It appeared that only Astrid, Heather and Hiccup were going, as Oili and Gunnar stayed where they were. Upon Hiccup's whistle, Stormfly and Toothless stopped their game of tag and trotted towards their respective riders. Windsheer, who was laying by the small pond, raised herself as well. Hiccup took his mask from the bag on the Night Fury's saddle and put it on. She was once again handed the black material to cover her own face. All three of them mounted their dragons, and the auburn-haired Rider turned his head slightly to her. 

"We, M'lady, are going to the Sanctuary." 

* * *

It was a bit troublesome for Astrid to keep up with the other two Riders as she was lacking in experience. Even though in the last few weeks she got much better at flying, it still was nothing compared to Heather, not to mention Hiccup and Toothless. The ride to the mysterious 'Sanctuary' was by far the longest one without a break Astrid had ever taken, and her muscles were hurting slightly, her eyelids drooping as well. She tried to focus on what was underneath her - the views of the islands and the sea were truly breath-taking. The girl was still amazed each time she flew. She hoped it would never get old. The wind softly dabbing her face, the clouds swimming around her, each made all her problems perish, even if it was for a moment only – she felt free. Astrid was curious as to where they were going; thinking about it now, she _did_ remember Hiccup mentioning a Sanctuary of some sorts. 

After hours of flying, Astrid spotted something in the distance. At first she thought she was hallucinating but the closer the girl got, the more real it looked – there was an island with some of the walls made purely out of ice. As a person living in a fairly cold place, Astrid was used to seeing ice – but Gods… not in such shape, nor form. It looked truly magnificent. Astrid couldn't take her eyes away from the incredible-looking ice walls, icy blue and jagged edges formed in a way that nature would never have been able to do on its own. The lower part of the island was mostly covered in mist, making their destination an even more mysterious and intriguing place. 

The girl saw dragons flying by the highest mountain, circling it before flying towards them. The sky was suddenly filled with different dragons, in vivid colors and extraordinary shapes. There were some creatures she recognized, but a lot of them she was seeing for the first time in her life. Timberjacks, Thunderclaws, Gronckles, Nadders and many, many other species of dragons flew around. When the blonde Viking looked beneath her, she saw some dragons emerging from the water. She recognized Thunderdrums and Scauldrons but those weren't the only ones. Honestly it looked surreal, but since she met Hiccup a lot of surreal things had happened. 

Toothless and Windsheer flew lower and Astrid nudged Stormfly to follow them. They entered some kind of a tunnel inside of a mountain. It was dark there, Astrid could barely see anything, but soon enough they flew into a large cave. Hiccup and Heather dismounted their dragons and after the blue Nadder finally landed, the blonde girl did the same. She shivered slightly at the temperature drop and looked around. There were dragons there - at first they looked slightly alarmed because of the newcomers, but, as soon as they recognized the Riders, the creatures went back to napping. Astrid untied the black material from her face and breathed in some fresh air. 

"I'll be on the west side if you need me." Heather pulled an empty, leather bag from Windsheer's saddle and patted it with her right hand. "I need to gather some things for Dragon's Edge. The healer is running low again." The girl disappeared in one of the many tunnels, not even waiting for any kind of response. Astrid lifted her eyebrow but, apparently, it was something normal. 

"Astrid." She jumped slightly from surprise upon hearing Hiccup's voice. He was at a narrow exits, with the Night Fury by his side, gesturing for her to come closer. She followed the lanky eighteen-year old through the corridor. It was difficult to keep up with Hiccup as the path was lumpy, with rock elements sticking out from the sides. The auburn-haired teen must have been here many times because he easily dodged every stalactite and got up every wall on their way. Yes, Astrid was an agile person but Hiccup… He moved almost like a dragon himself. It was intriguing to say the least. 

"Hiccup, can you _possibly_ wait a second?" Astrid asked as her husband almost completely disappeared from her sight. There was some light before her, though, so that was a good sign. She shielded her eyes from it. "Because I _really_ don't want to get…" She finally exited the tunnel. 

"…lost" 

The scene before her left her at loss for words. There, before her, was a real Dragon Nest. Not the rocky, almost deserted island with a huge volcano in the middle she saw weeks ago. No, here, were dragons everywhere, more kinds, shapes, or colors than she could have ever imagined. The surroundings were extraordinary – it was a mixture of pure ice and wild plants growing everywhere, even _on_ the ice. A green, delicate layer of moss was covering both the ground and the stone walls. Fortunately it was somehow warmer here, too. Astrid was pretty sure she must have looked really stupid with her mouth agape and eyes wide, but she honestly didn't care in that moment. 

"Do you like it?" Hiccup sounded almost shy, uncertain of what she would say. A light green Thunderclaw came forward to sniff her, and she caressed her hand over its scales softly. 

"I don't have… the words." A wide smile made its way on Astrid's face. " This place is _amazing_." She let out a laugh when she saw Toothless being harassed by baby Scuttleclaws. The Night Fury was by no means pleased by the hatchlings biting his ears and tail, and stood up to shake off the smaller dragons, causing them to fly away. 

"What's up with all the ice?" Astrid couldn't help but ask. It was just such a bizarre thing to be witness of. Hiccup took her hand in his and gently pulled her forward. His eyes were sparkling with excitement and a huge smile adorned his face – it was heart-warming to see him like that. As couple neared the edge of a cliff, Hiccup squeezed her hand. 

"Every Nest has its Queen, right?" When Astrid nodded uncertainly, he walked up closer to the edge of the clearing and continued " But this- _this_ is the King of all dragons." He declared proudly, gesturing for her to come closer. Astrid let go of his hand and took a few steps closer. What she saw made her gasp. In the lake that was down the cliff, there was a dragon. But not any dragon. He was enormous, nothing like she had ever seen in her life. He was the size of a mountain, able to crash _anything_ in his path if he wished to. Every other dragon paled in the comparison with the King of all dragons, as Hiccup called him. With two long tusks and large, sharp spikes protruding from the back of his neck, the King looked majestic, almost like a sculpture. The creature turned his icy blue eyes to her and rose up from the water. The small movement created a huge commotion in the lake beaneath and it was then that Astrid _really_ saw how gigantic the dragon was. She took a few shaky steps back, only to collide with Hiccup's strong, warm chest. He wrapped his arms around her which, she'd never admit, made her feel safer. 

"There's nothing to be afraid of, M'lady" He leaned down and softly kissed her cheek. Astrid wanted to protest, to say that she was a Hofferson and that she wasn't afraid of anything but the words seemed to have been stuck in her throat. The King's head was the size of a Great Hall or even two, she swore. His huge eyes were on her but Astrid wasn't so afraid anymore. They held some kindness, warmness in them. The giant observed her silently, his gaze peering into her soul. His presence was overwhelming yet, for some reason, it made her feel safer as well. Hiccup untangled himself from her and Astrid's body moved on her own, walking up closer to the edge of the cliff, closer to the King. She didn't understand what made her do it. 

"The great Bewilderbeast, the Alpha species – one of the very few that still exists." Astrid swallowed and tilted her head sideways, observing the exceptional dragon before her. The Bewilderbeast let out a soft cloud of frost that covered her bangs. Astrid stood, not really knowing what to do or how to react. Hiccup came beside her and flicked the delicate ice from her fringe. 

" I guess he likes you. He did the same thing to me when I first met him." He chuckled, running his hand through his hair. Astrid let out a small smile and looked around. The dragons were looking at them curiously. Some of them were bowing, like Toothless, and some of them were titling their heads, observing in silence. All were somewhat affected by the King's presence. All but one. An owl-looking dragon seemed to have not reacted at all. He was laying by the wall so still, that Astrid actually considered that the reptile may be dead. Only then he lifted his head just slightly, his yellow orbs shining in the shadows. His face looked a bit weird. It had two long spines protruding from his face which looked as if it had been smashed. 

"Who's that?" Astrid briefly wondered when it happened that the dragon changed from a 'what' to a 'who'. 

"Huh?" At her words, Hiccup turned around as well. She pointed the owl-looking dragon with her head and, as the young man saw what she was talking about, something changed in his expression. His smile disappeared almost instantly and she saw him swallow hard. Perhaps the dragon was really sick? It would have explained why it didn't move much. But… by Hiccup's distant look she had a feeling that it wasn't something as simple as that. 

"Hiccup?" he turned to her startled when she said his name. The girl looked at him sideways, scanning his face carefully. "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. I was just wondering-" 

"No, uh, you…you have every right to know." Hiccup shook his head and sighed. "That's – that's Cloudjumper. A Stormcutter." The eighteen-year old turned to the owl-like dragon, their eyes having a silent conversation. Astrid felt her stomach clenching when she saw Hiccup's eyes slightly glistening. "My… m-mother's dragon." He whispered the last part barely audibly, his voice cracking slightly at the word 'mother'. The blonde girl was surprised to say the least. 

"Your mother is a –" 

" _Was_ a Dragon Rider, yes." He cut her off. The young man cleared his throat, trying, and failing, to maintain a steady voice. "O-one of the first ones too." The Stormcutter moaned quietly. He laid his head on the ground and used his long tail to hide his snout. A silent tear rolled down Hiccup's cheek and Astrid felt an immediate need to comfort him. She took his hand in hers, but his grip was weak and he was gazing absently towards the Stormcutter. Astrid felt panic rise in her chest. He had been doing so well recently, hardly ever did it happen that he had a panic attack or a flashback of any sort. Nightmares still occurred but Astrid was so proud of him, he was making progress. As she squeezed his hand, the eighteen-year old looked at her. He was aware of his surroundings then, good. His eyes were darker than usual, though, sadder. Understandably so. 

"I found her here when I was fifteen." He smiled sadly. His fingers went to play with his armor. 

"Found?" Astrid asked confused. Thinking about it now, she didn't recall any woman arriving on Bjargey with Stoick the Vast eleven years ago. And seven-year old Hiccup didn't bring his mother up either. She saw the auburn-haired teen nodding slowly, as if thinking about something hard, maybe remembering. He frowned, his nose crinkling slightly. 

"She… was said to be carried away by a dragon – Cloudjumper actually – when I was less than a year old. I - We thought she was dead, eaten by a dragon but… she-she lived here the whole time." Hiccup gestured around the Sanctuary. Astrid didn't know what to think of that. What kind of a mother would leave her child when she was perfectly capable of coming back? She could have just flown back on the Stormcutter or any other dragon. Then again, Astrid didn't know the whole story, and judging a person without knowing the whole truth is a very easy, and very wrong, thing to do. So she let him continue. She knew he needed that. 

"She said she thought that by not coming back she was doing the right thing but… I-I don't… _know_." Conflict was visible in his eyes. "I was angry, _furious_ , with her. I mean, she left her only son. I-I had to grow up without her, without a mother and..." He shrugged awkwardly, one shoulder higher than the other. His voice started to crack again. "I-I forgave her – with time. She showed me things about dragons that I would've never figured out on my own." 

"What happened to her?" Astrid interjected uncertainly. Toothless, sensing Hiccup's discomfort, pushed his snout under his rider's other hand. That made Hiccup's mouth quirk slightly upwards. 

"I'm-I'm fine, bud." He caressed a hand over the reptile's black scales. He looked up again. "My mother had been fighting with Drago long before I learned the truth about dragons. She had been setting off the traps and releasing dragons he had captured." His green eyes, filled with a quiet sorrow and longing, met her icy-blue ones. "It's an understatement to say that Drago wasn't her biggest fan." The eighteen-year old shrugged again and his face became serious. " We, uh, we were flying together, when the trappers attacked. She was… sh-shot. I-I managed to get the arrow out, but it turned out to be poisonous… and I… I-" Astrid wrapped her arms around him and he buried his head in her shoulder. He didn't cry but he was shaking noticeably. His hands gripped the back of her shirt tightly. That must have been horrible; to feel completely helpless when a loved one was dying… 

"You did the best you could do, Hiccup," she murmured softly into his shoulder and her husband hugged her tighter. 

"It-it doesn't _feel_ enough, though." The young man whispered into her hair. He pulled away from her and wiped a tear from his cheek with the back of his hand. His cheeks were red, whether from embarrassment or all the emotions, she wasn't sure. "I'm, uh, I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have thrown all this y-your way." Astrid had never been good with words; that was a well-known fact. The girl usually reacted with actions, rather than words. So she did the first thing that came to her mind. 

She hit him in the arm. 

Hiccup's eyes widened as he brought a hand to the place where he had been hit. Astrid figured that a slightly different approach might be better. So she gave this 'making someone feel better' thing a one more try. 

"Stop apologizing. You have nothing to be sorry for. I-I care about you, I want to know what's bothering you." The girl responded in a soft manner. She couldn't believe how the last two months had changed her life, for good of course, even though new problems had arisen. Astrid was never a soft one - she was known for her tough exterior - and yet this boy, no, _man_ , awoke in her such a side. Astrid couldn't bring herself to be mad at him for that. Hiccup looked at her, a mix between surprise and confusion. It hurt her to see him so surprised that someone actually cared for him. He shouldn't feel like that; no one should. She stayed silent for a moment, observing the auburn-haired man. Before she could stop herself, Astrid took a few steps towards him, yanked him by the collar of his armor, and kissed him soundly. She could _show_ him how she felt at least. 

Yes, that was something she could get used to. 

They were interrupted by the Night Fury's snort. He seemed to be less than amused at the couple. Toothless obviously had better things to do. 

"Thank you. For- for everything." Hiccup nodded to her, gratitude clear in his emerald green eyes. Astrid felt herself smiling wildly. To see him smile again, and the fact that _she_ was the one that made him feel better - it felt really good. She would have never thought that something as simple as that would make her so fulfilled. Hiccup played with the armor on his wrist and looked up. 

" I-I have something for you." He smiled. It was a weak smile but an honest one as well and that was what mattered. " Come on." He gestured for him to follow him. Astrid raised an eyebrow but did what he asked. They went through another entrance that led them to another cave, different from the one they had landed in. The cave was definitely inhabited once, though now it looked a bit abandoned. There was quite a thick layer of dust on the shelves, and sheets of papers were strewn around. Hiccup disappeared behind a curtain that seemed to be leading to another room. This must be where his mother used to live. At the thought of her, Astrid felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. She occupied herself by looking around the chamber. There were some drawings of dragons pinned to the walls. A colorful mask was hanging off a wooden hook; it was similar to Hiccup's in build, but looked a bit like the Stormcutter's face, although she could have been wrong. In the middle of the dimly-lit room was a desk with many papers strewn on it. When she reached it, she saw something that looked like an arrest warrant. Upon closer inspection, her assumptions turned out to be right. The message was sent to warn the people about the dangerous Dragon Master. The drawing was of him clad in black armor, and the girl had to admit that it was pretty well done. 

"Astrid?" Said girl dropped the piece of paper she was holding and whirled around to see her husband standing with a raised eyebrow and a half-smile. Astrid regained her composure and came silently towards Hiccup. She noticed he had something in his arms. The auburn-haired teen set it down on a table of some sort and gestured for the girl to look through it. Astrid widened her eyes at the sight. It was armor! But it wasn't anything she had ever seen before - it looked like the ones the Riders were wearing during the attacks. 

She carefully reached for it, her fingers caressing the dyed leather, blue and yellow to match Stormfly. It was pleasant in touch, though she was sure that it was strong and sturdy as well. Astrid widened her eyes as she saw some of the Nadder's scales sewn in together. It added a personal touch to the armor. The clothing was made of several pieces, all connected by some straps or belts, similarly to the way Hiccup's own amour was made. Many hidden pockets allowed her to have place for smaller knifes, handy if she were to be captured. A place for her axe to be strapped, shoulder pads similar to her own, a leather skirt with metal parts. It was… perfect, everything that she needed in an armor was there. 

"Wow." She breathed out, pressing it closer to her chest. 

"I figured that if I can't stop you from fighting, then at least the armor will somewhat protect you." Astrid looked up at her husband with admiration and gratitude. He got it, finally. He knew that nothing would stop her from protecting her home and loved ones. She was really glad for that. The girl laid the armor aside smiled wildly. 

"It's.. I don't know what to say." She slung her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Hiccup." She muttered into his hair. 

"You can try it on in the other room there." Hiccup nodded towards the curtain, from which he exited a few seconds ago. Astrid sent him another smile and went to change. She lifted the curtain and found herself in a bedroom. At least that was what she assumed as there was a single bed by the wall. She laid the armor on the wooden piece of furniture and changed. The armor was very accurate as to her size, except maybe for the chest area that was a bit tight. (She would never say that to Hiccup – it would certainly be very awkward). Astrid was impressed and touched; whoever did it must have spent a lot of time on it. What surprised her most of all was the metal on the armor. It was extremely light, _nothing_ like her old shoulder-pads, or anything she had ever seen. Overall, it was quite comfortable, and she felt satisfied, happy. Astrid quickly strapped her axe at the back. The blonde girl was excited to use the armor in a combat or during a flight. She wondered if it would make flying more comfortable. She was about to show herself to Hiccup when she heard someone walking into the cave and starting a conversation with the young man. Judging by the voice it was Heather. 

"… ship. The Edge has been already informed. They've sent their troops." Astrid came closer to the curtain. She felt a bit guilty eavesdropping on the conversation, it was a violation of privacy after all, but the girl still felt like she was still partly being kept in the dark.

"Thanks for the information. I'll be going in a moment." Hiccup responded emphatically. 

"Alright, I'll go and prepare myself-" 

"No. Please, go back to the Edge" The eighteen-year old cut her off. 

"But… I don't think it'd be safe to-" Heather didn't finish and sighed, defeated. "As you wish. Just… stay safe. Please." 

"Don't I always?" Hiccup said with a hint of humor in his voice. Astrid heard the black-haired girl leaving and Hiccup shuffling around the room. She decided it was time to leave the backroom. Astrid lifted the material and walked into the main chamber. Hiccup turned to her with an awed smile. 

"You look amazing M'lady." He smiled at her all goofily, his crooked teeth showing – she couldn't help but return the gesture. It didn't last long, though, as a frown replaced it. 

"Where do you have to go?" 

"So you heard…" he sighed softly, running his hand through his hair. "Drago's ship. I need to check it out." 

"I'm going with you." Astrid raised her head. Hiccup was about to protest but she didn't let him. "You gave me this armor to protect me, you said so yourself. I'm not going to stay and watch from the sidelines. Not anymore. I was trained to fight and nothing will convince me to stay here." Hiccup dropped his head slightly, realizing that she was probably right. Astrid was a Viking, and Vikings, well… they had stubbornness issues. Not to mention a craving for some good ol' action. There was no arguing with a Viking that had his or her mind set on something, _especially_ if it was Astrid. She was standing there with her hands on her hips, her expression almost daring Hiccup to _try_ to refuse. 

"What is this woman doing to me." He muttered under his breath as he massaged his forehead. Astrid raised her eyebrow and shifted her weight to one leg. "Fine." He threw up his hands. "You can go but you stay close to me at all times, understood?" She quickly nodded, satisfied. Hiccup took his helmet from the desk and brought it under his arm. Just before exiting the cave he turned to her with his brows furrowed. 

"Before we go... this ship is not like the one before." 

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked cautiously. Seeing the slight worry on Hiccup's face made her a bit uneasy. 

"It's a slave ship." 

**A/N:**

 **200 favourites! And almost 300 followers! You never cease to amaze me. It's just... wow. I know that I am repeating myself (** _ **again**_ **) but I have never expected such a positive feedback. :D Thank you, all of you. It means so much to me.**

 **Guest** **: Thank you! It was actually quite hard for me to write the scene with so many people in it. I was really afraid I neglected some of the characters. I wanted for all of them to take part in the action but, yeah, it turned out to be a little problematic. I'm glad you liked it, though. Now 235 reviews, heh. The number is actually quite terrifying –** _ **that**_ **is a lot of reviews. But I'm thankful for each one of them. :D**

 **Alicia** **: No worries! Life comes first. ;) I'm really happy that you enjoyed it that much. I did it! I think... It's when I usually update. Funny thing is, it's usually early Saturday when I do that. Ah, the beauty of different time zones, I guess. :D**

 **Sighttobehold** **: Sorry, didn't want to be too blunt about that. But yeah, they have become a lot** _ **closer**_ **since the trip to the Dragon's Edge, physically especially. ;) And thank you, I'm really glad that you are enjoying the story. :D**

 **I am leaving for a couple of days this week so I'm not sure if chapter 20 will be on time. I** _ **think**_ **I will manage to do it but just in case – that would be the reason I'm late. I truly apologize if I have not replied to you. With all the recent review issues, I might have missed something by accident.**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	20. The Scars

**Well, hello there. Guess what? I had most of my editing done when my computer decided to crush. Just my luck, I guess. :/ Sorry for the delay – here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How to train your dragon: books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **WARNING: !Violence, corpses, mild language and mentions of slavery!**

 **CHAPTER 20**

 **The one with scars.**

Astrid was focused. 

She was going to prove Hiccup that she was ready to fight for their case, that the trust he had for her was not misplaced. He seemed really serious about the whole situation and, honestly, Astrid couldn't blame him. She had never seen a real slave. Sure, she was told that many people from Dragon's Edge were former slaves but it wasn't the same as seeing an innocent person being treated as someone else's property. They were free at the Edge, the Riders gave them a new life. Slavery had been banned in the islands such as Bjargey or Berk but in some places it was still something, dare she say it, normal. 

Along the way, a few other Riders joined in. Despite the clothing covering their faces, she recognized Sergius as one of them. He was flying atop an aquamarine Shovelhelm, named Conlectus **[1]**. That was another species of dragons that before the whole dragon riding was completely unknown to her. With a prominent frill on the back of his head, stubby paws and a round belly, the dragon looked innocent to the point Astrid wasn't sure if he was capable of hurting _anything_. Wide and bright-colored yellow eyes weren't helping either. She had learnt so much about the dragons recently – all those little facts still amazed her and she couldn't believe Vikings had been, _still were_ , so blind as not to see those, now obvious to her, things before. The girl couldn't recognize any of the other Riders and even without their masks she would probably be unable to do that. There were a total of seven of them. 

"So… what's the plan, boss?" asked Sergius in his thick accent. His loud voice cut through the air. Astrid noticed Hiccup rolling his shoulder. 

"We split up." He said, his voice firm. "Heather informed me there were three ships. Drago's people shouldn't be that heavily armored so two Riders per ship should be enough. Me, Astrid and Sergius will go for the main one." No one objected. It was clear they trusted their leader. "If anything happens, use the Dragon Call." 

"Dragon Call?" Astrid muttered to herself. She had never heard of such thing. True, she heard the Riders use something that sounded a bit like a dragon a few times before. The girl wondered how much she still needed to learn. The rest of the flight was quiet. Each of the Riders was focused on the task at hand. The sea beneath them was the only thing that could be seen miles and miles away. Astrid kept glancing at Hiccup from time to time but her husband's gaze was kept solemnly on the vast waters ahead. It was getting darker, she noted. And colder too. 

"Astrid." She turned as she heard the, by now, well-known nasally voice of the auburn-haired teen. The Night Fury flew closer to the Nadder and his rider leaned in. 

"We're going there to free the slaves." He paused to get himself more comfortable on the dragon. Mostly satisfied, he continued. "Both human _and_ dragon. Don't… _don't_ go up against Drago's people alone." He reached for something in the satchel that was tied to his saddle. A small tube, made out of metal and wood, that was what he took out. A carved in dragon head, a similar one to the ones on the Viking ships, decked one of the ends. He took her hand, placed the object in her open palm and closed it, his bigger hand covering hers. "If anyone comes too close, just turn here." He showed her a pulley that was placed on the side. 

"What is that?" she turned the mysterious tube in her hands. There was that symbol on the side again. The one she had seen on the armor in their room on Berk and on Hiccup's arm. 

"It's a sleeping gas." He looked at her. "I -I _know_ you're capable of defending yourself but please, _please,_ while we are there, just… be careful." Astrid nodded absently. Before she could stop herself, she reached for his metal shoulder pad. 

"You… you too." She wished she could see his face but the mask covered everything including the eyes. He nodded to her and, without another word, he and Toothless pulled back. The girl slipped the small tube into her boot, making sure it wouldn't turn on its own. It was getting darker and darker with each passing minute. Three ships were spotted on the horizon, each with the flag and the crest she had seen before, fluttering violently in the strong wind. A Rider on a Snaptrapper and one on a purple Nadder flew towards one of the ships. The other pair, a green Gronckle and a turquoise Scuttleclaw with their Riders, turned to the second one. Hiccup and Sergius started descending towards the main ship, the one that was in the lead. Astrid nudged Stormfly to do the same. Shouts were heard from it as the Riders had been spotted by the sailors. Astrid and her Nadder dodged some bolas that were thrown her way. Hiccup's training was really coming in handy in situations like this. 

The Night Fury and the Shovelhelm landed on the main deck, their riders quickly dismounting the dragons. As Astrid and Stormfly landed as well, a green mist started to cover the ship. The blonde Viking slid of the saddle and reached for her weapon of choice, the Hofferson family axe. Even through the thickening, green fog, Astrid could see some of Drago's sailors coming her way. Ignoring her itching throat and the poor visibility, she moved towards them with a newfound determination. This… _this_ was what she was good at. Feeling the adrenaline pumping through her veins, she kicked the first man in the stomach. Another one got an elbow to the face. Something, or rather some _one_ , pulled on her arm and she spun around, the axe ready to strike. The familiar mask stopped her in the last second and she let Hiccup lead her below the main deck. The mist was making it almost impossible to see. As they reached the lower floor, the scratching feeling in her throat was replaced with nausea as a rank smell hit her. 

The blonde Viking found herself in a dim-lit corridor. Set of cages ran on each side. She came to the closest one and saw a man, around thirty, laying there. He raised his head slightly and looked at the girl absently. His shirt was torn and stained, with what - she didn't necessarily need to know. The man's ribs were protruding from the overused piece of clothing. His gaze was empty, unfocused. It was the same one Hiccup had when his body shut down. The cage itself was small, big enough to lay there and nothing more. Astrid breathed out shakily. 

She could almost see Hiccup in the exact same place. Starved, chained, beaten up. 

_Broken._

Hiccup came from behind her and took out a dagger from his left armguard. He swiftly twisted the knife inside the lock and the cage opened. The man inside didn't even react, as if he didn't care anymore. He probably didn't. 

"Sergius is upstairs keeping an eye on the guards." He seemed to have nodded to himself, as if to reassure, before continuing. "Go… go open the next cage." Hiccup told her stiffly and she came back to the harsh reality. She trotted to the next cage and was met with a girl around her age, maybe younger. As opposed to the man, the girl stood up, the chain tied to her leg clanging with each move, and looked at Astrid with hope. Her brown hair was cut unevenly and close to the scalp. She had a scar on her right eyebrow and cheek. Astrid took out her own dagger and started twisting inside the lock. It wasn't hard, the locks were old and rusty already. No one really cared about them. It wasn't like the prisoners were able to pick locks anyway, they were simply too weak to do that. The cage's gate opened and, after Astrid cut the chain with her axe, the girl stepped out hesitantly. She looked around, then her gaze returned back to her savior. 

"Who…" She started, her voice hoarse and tired, clearly not used in a while. "Who are you?" The brown-haired girl was observing the other girl with interest. Astrid saw the man from the first cage sitting by the wall and Hiccup opening another cage. There was not time, not right now. The blonde shook her head. 

"We're not here to harm you, I can promise you that." She said softly. Sending the girl one, last glance, Astrid quickly went towards the next cage. Empty. The Hofferson girl glanced at the rescued slave. The girl stayed where she stood before, observing, not really knowing what she should do. Hiccup was in the process of calming down a Monstrous Nightmare in the cage opposite her. The dragon was shrieking every time anyone got even close to him. The eighteen-year old crouched down to the Nightmare's level and pulled out a hand. One wrong move and the dragon would set itself on fire. And they were on a wooden boat. 

Probably not the best combination. 

Hiccup maneuvered his hand so that the dragon followed it with his eyes. Then the Rider brought his hand down in one, quick motion. The Nightmare, as if hypnotized, fell down and let the teen graze a hand over his scales. The dragon seemed perfectly calm after that. Astrid turned away from them and narrowed her eyes. At the end of the corridor, there was a cage. There wouldn't be anything unusual about this if it weren't for the fact that it was already opened, or at least ajar. She moved closer, noting that it was getting darker. The unpleasant smell seemed stronger as well. The cage looked… empty. But she felt there was something in there, something that, for some reason, made a shiver go down her back. Astrid moved towards the black oblivion before her and… stamped on something. 

An arm. 

An arm that lead to a shoulder. A shoulder that lead to the rest of the body. Astrid's eyes finally adjusted to the darkness but she really wished they didn't. There were more of them. She took a shaky step back, feeling sick to the stomach. Dead eyes were looking at her, judging. Naked corpses of several women, men and children were lain one on another. Thrown carelessly as if they were worthless, like objects. Forgotten. Unknown. A small girl, less than ten years old, was among them. Faded blonde hair, unmoving blue eyes. Astrid felt a hand on her back. She screamed and jumped away from the haunting touch. 

"Astrid." Muttering her name, Hiccup hugged her, his body covering the horrifying sight, trying to hide her from the truth. The girl's hands clawed the dark-green shirt under his armor. 

"Breath... Astrid. I-In. And out." Hiccup ran a shaking hand over her hair in a calming matter. She didn't feel calmer, though, and It was clear he wasn't doing much better than her either. The room hadn't stopped spinning. 

She felt sick. 

She was Astrid Hofferson. She was supposed to be fearless. Yet at that sight, the girl felt her stomach clench. Sure, she have seen dead people before. In times when there still were dragon raids, death was nothing uncommon. She attended many funerals in her short life. But Gods… it was completely different. Those people, those _humans,_ piled up like something worthless, left to rot down there. The smell… it was disgusting. Astrid couldn't take it anymore. She turned around, wrenched the black cloth from her mouth and threw up. Hiccup held her close to him the whole time, his own heart beating furiously. 

"C-come on. We should… we should get back." He softly guided her towards the ladder. The blonde girl followed wordlessly. He helped her through the corridor and onto the main deck. Drago's people were still knocked out, unaware of what was happening just by their side. All the cages with slaves, that were still alive, had been opened, the dragons' ones as well. Three people, two dragons – that was how many they managed to rescue. The dragons were calm enough so Hiccup, along with Sergius, started helping up the people to mount the winged creatures. They were scared and reluctant of course, but the thought of going back to the cages was an enough motivation. Astrid watched the whole thing from the sidelines, not really able to do much else. She couldn't stop shaking. Sergius and Conlectus flew up first and the rescued dragons, with former slaves on top of them, followed after him. Astrid saw other dragons in the sky, other rescued slaves. Stormfly was ready for the girl to mount her. 

And then she heard people shouting. Dragons roaring. Something happened. She wasn't able to think about it any further as she felt something cold against the back of her head. Sounds got quieter, her vision became fuzzy and she felt herself hitting the wooden deck. 

* * *

Astrid cringed at the enormous headache. The last time she had one like that, was when Ruffnut made her drink a bit too much mead. She doubted that was the case now. The events from before hit her like a bucket of ice cold water. 

Gunnar. The Dragon Sanctuary. The ship. _The dead bodies._

The blue, dead eyes. 

She felt like the meeting with her brother happened _years_ ago. Astrid looked around. It was already dark but the few torches helped her understand where she was. She was on a ship, the same as before, she guessed. Her hands and legs were tied to something. Further observations made her realize it was the mast. The girl saw Hiccup tied to a chair on the right. He didn't have his mask on but his face stayed unreadable. She didn't see anyone else so she guessed, more like hoped, that Sergius and the rescued ones managed to escape. Astrid eyes darted from one side to the other but both Stormfly and Toothless were nowhere to be found. 

The blonde girl heard heavy footsteps coming from behind her. Weighty, metal boots clanged with each step. Next came the cape, shuffling on the ship's wooden floor. To Astrid's dismay, it seemed to be made from dragons' skin. Two months ago, she wouldn't have seen anything wrong with it but now… Imaging that it could be Stormfly's skin on that man; it made her sick. The man was of a huge size and she felt the deck moving along with his steps. He turned around. 

The man's face was not a pleasant one to look at. He had some scars on his face and his eyes had dark bags underneath them. The man's long, thin lips were formatted into a sickening smirk, showing off two rows of ugly, yellow teeth. His hooked nose was adored by another scar in the middle. All that and the dreadlocks on his dark hair and beard made him someone quite hard to forget. His right arm was exposed but the left one was completely covered by some poor dragon's skin. He was carrying a long, metal hook. The man slowly came closer to Hiccup and grabbed his chin harshly. 

"You seem hard to get rid of." The man's voice was deep, dark. Astrid felt shivers going down her back as she came to the realization 

Drago. Drago Bludvist. 

It must be him, she was sure of that. Hiccup's eyes were ice cold, the usual kindness and warmness completely gone. Hatred made its way there instead. He wrenched out his face. 

"A talent I suppose." The eighteen-year old snarled in response. Sure, Astrid had seen Hiccup angry but it was no comparison to what was evident on the teen's face now. She couldn't blame him, though. She herself was fuming in anger after what she saw on the ship's lowest deck. If she could only get her hands on Drago… so many unjustified atrocities… Drago Bludvist only chuckled darkly. He seemed to be having fun, torturing them like that. Then again, what else could she have expected from a person like him? 

"I was almost afraid you died." Drago leaned in closer to Hiccup's face, his voice lowering as he spoke. "And that would take all the fun out of it." He took the metal hook and stabbed the teen in the left leg just below the knee, just above the prosthetic. Hiccup groaned barely audibly, breathing heavily, but did nothing else. Astrid could clearly see he was in huge pain, agony even. 

"Unfortunately your precious cage is occupied." Drago said, almost emotionless. He shifted the hook slightly. 

"Shame really." Hiccup gasped out and winced immediately. "My dried blood stains on the walls grew on me." Astrid felt the urge to slap him on the back of his head. Now was _not_ the time for the sarcasm. She had to think of something. And quick. Hiccup was getting paler by the second. She tried to move but the ropes were tight, encroaching deep into her skin. She tried to lean back. By some miracle her hands reached her woolen boots. Astrid dug inside in hope she'd find her dagger there but it was nowhere to be found. 

Figures… 

She winced at the pain in her wrists and was about to pull back when her hand came across something else. The small, mysterious tube. For whatever reason, Drago's men didn't take it and it was still where she put it back on the dragon. The girl grabbed the object tightly and tried to take it out of her boot without raising any suspicion. Fortunately for her, Drago was only focused on Hiccup. 

"You know boy, it's a shame that you didn't take up my offer." Astrid turned her head towards the two men. What offer? She saw Hiccup swallow, his Adam's apple bopping up and down. Drago continued after a beat. "You could have joined me Dragon Master. Imagine what we could have achieved here. Together. Control all the dragons! Control the world! Ha!" he took out the hook in one, swift move. Astrid moved the tube with the gas closer to her. If only she could somehow discard the ropes… 

"Dragons…" Hiccup breathed out, cringing. "…are _not_ weapons." Drago shook his head like a disappointed father after the child screwed up. Astrid, taking advantage of Drago's oblivious men, started moving her arms upwards. 

"And that's where you're wrong. You see-" 

BONG 

"Shit." Astrid cursed under her breath. The tube fell from her hands and rolled away on the ship's uneven floor. Of course everyone noticed, just her luck. Drago turned to her, angry that the girl dared to try to do anything besides sitting quietly. 

"What do you think you're doing, girl?!" But Astrid wasn't listening. She was watching a small stream of something light blue that started coming out from the unfortunate tube. Following her gaze, Drago turned away. Hiccup, taking advantage of that, rolled away on his chair. Drago's men came towards him but the teen kicked the first one in the leg, making the sailor stumble backwards. Hiccup stood up, still tied to the piece of furniture, crouched down to avoid the incoming strike and then turned around, hitting another man with the chair in the process. There was more and more gas on the deck. Astrid already felt a bit fuzzy, like she could fall asleep… any minute… 

Someone grabbed her upwards and she felt a stinging pain around her wrists as the ropes tore apart. Drago balled a fist around the front of her armor. It was clear he was furious but he also seemed a bit unstable. Perhaps the gas was working on him too? Astrid tried to wrench herself out. The gas made her disoriented but she still managed to bring a knee to the bigger man's stomach. Drago stumbled to the side but her attack didn't seem to be the reason, at least not wholly. As she fell on her knees, Astrid glanced up. Hiccup, who apparently released himself from the chair, was standing behind Drago, his mouth and nose covered by a black cloth. He had a middle-sized hammer in his left hand. The teen threw her a piece of material. She came towards the rail, breathed some, more or less, fresh air and tied it the same way he did. Hiccup looked unstable as he leaned down and grabbed the tube, like he could fall over any second. The limp, that was surely caused by Bludvist's hook, wasn't helping either. Drago shook his head, trying to remain conscious. The other men were losing the battle with sleepiness but Drago was bigger and so the gas didn't affect him the same way. Astrid stood up with some difficulty. 

A dragon roar sounded in the distance. 

A blast sundered the ship into two pieces. Hiccup, Astrid and one of the sailors on one side, Drago and the rest on the other. The blonde Rider looked up to see a Nadder. It looked familiar… wait… Stormfly? Yes, it was her, but how did she get here? Her question was answered as Conlectus and Toothless appeared in the night's sky. For some reason, Sergius was riding atop the Night Fury instead of the Shovelhelm. The Nadder dived down and grabbed her Rider. Astrid was still under the gas's effect and she didn't really register what was happening around her. She saw Toothless diving in as well. Drago shouting, someone saying something, Astrid's eyes closed itself. If she closed her eyes for a second, nothing would happen. 

…right? 

* * *

_A small girl, around eight or nine years old, was running around in a small meadow. She was softly smiling, without a care in the world. Her blue eyes were sparkling with happiness and her blonde hair was fluttering in the wind. A dragon flew by and the little girl laughed, the sound echoing around the middow. Suddenly the image changed completely. The same girl, yet completely different._

 _Bruised, pale, starved, with dead eyes, unmoving. Around, there were dead bodies. One, single torch lit in the corner, making the scene even more horrifying. Astrid looked around frantically but there was no way out; no matter which side she looked, she saw the same thing. There was no escape._

" _Why?" the girl quietly asked and Astrid found herself unable to move as she stared at the child._

" _I'm sorry." The teen whispered. Why was she saying sorry, she didn't know._

" _Astrid." The little girl said her name, speaking louder this time. She seemed to be staring right into Astrid's soul. "You need to wake up." The seventeen-year old looked up._

" _What?" she asked confused. Why would she need to –_

Astrid opened her eyes with a sharp gasp. Looking around she realized she was in a tent. A tent, not the ship's lowest deck. It was a dream, all a dream. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest, threatening to escape any time now. She swallowed when she was met with Hiccup's concerned face. As soon as he noticed she was awake, he brought a hand to her forehead. Astrid winced at the too warm touch. The young man pulled away with a satisfied look. 

"I'm glad you're awake. The gas knocked you out pretty badly." Astrid sat up, still not really herself. Hiccup handed her a mug of water which she gladly drunk. She noticed her hand slightly shaking. 

"Where… where are we?" She frowned and looked at the auburn-haired teen. "What happened?" 

"Sergius returned after he led the rescued dragons on the way to the Edge. The ship had been broken into pieces. Stormfly caught you, fortunately." He was silent for a minute. "I think Drago had been knocked out but I'm not sure." He averted his eyes. "I'm-I'm sorry, I should've protect you. If I would've known-" 

"You didn't. So stop beating yourself about it. I knew what I was getting into." She tried to reassure him. It was truth though. She swore that she'd do anything to help. Hiccup brought his hand to the back of his neck. 

"We're back on Bjargey, answering your first question." Astrid still couldn't erase the images from the night. Something like that couldn't be easily forgotten. The faces kept flashing before her eyes, even though she tried to think about something else. _Anything_ else. 

"Why?" she whispered, casting a look at Hiccup. He, at first confused, soon enough got what she was talking about. 

"They keep every body." Hiccup started quietly, twiddling with his hands. "Drago demands that the number of people and dragons leaving the ship is the same as the one entering it. To make sure no one escaped or that no one was set free during the sail. As you could see, not many of the people survive it." He reached for the pendant under his shirt. He was there, on the ship. He could have been one of those dead bodies. He could… No, she couldn't think like that. Hiccup was here, alive and fighting. Astrid noticed his left leg was bandaged under the knee, the place where Drago stabbed him. Some blood was visible on the material around. She should ask him about it, she should say something, but the words seemed to have been stuck in her throat. The girl looked at her own wrists, that someone, she guessed Hiccup, bandaged. 

Astrid saw some light coming from the outside, it was day already. How long had she been asleep? Wait, it was another day which would mean… 

"I need to leave soon M'lady. Go back to Berk." Hiccup stood up and Astrid followed. The eighteen-year old was slightly limping with each step. _She_ was feeling a bit better, though. Her hands stopped shaking and the ground stopped spinning. The only thing left was a slight nausea but she hoped it would go away soon enough. They exited the tent and Astrid realized it was earlier than she thought. The first rays of sunshine were just peering from the trees. Oili was sitting by the boulder, carving something into her bow. The girl raised her head and, seeing her two friends, she smiled, putting down her weapon. Astrid's eyes widened and she stopped abruptly. 

Her axe… _where_ was her axe? 

They disarmed her before they tied her to the mast. They must have hidden it somewhere on the ship which… partly, if not wholly, sunk. It was her mother's axe. Gods, Solveig was going to _kill_ her. So many memories with that weapon and now it was gone. How could she have been so foolish? 

"Astrid?" Hiccup was looking at her concerned. Oili had a similar expression. Maybe… There was still a chance. 

"Have you seen my axe?" the seventeen-year old blonde cracked out. Astrid felt her stomach drop as both Hiccup and Oili shook their heads. Great, just what she needed. Astrid would never admit but she was quite a sentimental person. She didn't like changes, nor throwing any of her old stuff. She grew really attached to the weapon. 

"I can make you another one?" Hiccup suggested but Astrid shook her head. _It wouldn't be the same._ She would need a new weapon of course, but not right now. 

"Maybe… It-it doesn't matter right now." She heard a chirp and turned around to see her beloved dragon. She felt herself smile despite all the things that happened recently. The Nadder trotted quickly towards the teen and started nudging her for some attention. Astrid gladly petted the dragon. 

"She was worried about you." Her husband came closer to Stormfly and softly ran a hand over her blue scales. Such a friendly, loyal creature she was. More loyal than some people. After the last few weeks, Astrid discovered that the hatred was misdirected. Some dragons had bigger hearts than humans. It didn't matter, human or dragon, it was what was inside that counted and Hiccup was right saying that good dragons controlled by bad people did bad things. She supposed it was the same with humans. If only she could prove that to her parents. 

"As much as I'd like to stay, I need to return to Berk." Hiccup said looking at the sky. Astrid nodded, she had her own family to convince and she was pretty sure it wasn't going to be easy. The eighteen-year old grabbed her hand and ran his thumb over it. "See you in two days?" 

"Hopefully." She sent him an unsure smile. She really _did_ hope it would go smoothly but Vikings tended to be unpredictable. Hiccup climbed onto the Night Fury. He appeared to be thinking about something. 

"Don't tell your parents about Drago just yet." He looked at her intensely and leaned down to plant a small, slighlty unsure, kiss on her lips. It was short and as soon as it ended, Toothless opened his wings and the duo shot up to the sky. Oili watched the whole scene, the corner of her mouth quirking upwards. She sent Astrid a knowing look. 

"What?" the blonde teen snapped harsher than she intended to. She just couldn't stand the smile Oili wore on her face. 

"Nothing, nothing." Oili giggled slightly. Astrid only rolled her eyes at that. She focused on how to approach her parents. Tomorrow evening she was already supposed to be on the Edge and her parents would have to be convinced, or at least willing to give the new policy a chance. She decided not to waste any more time. She should catch her parents while it was still early. The girl knew from experience that if she would go now, both her mother and father should still be home by the time she reached her house. Astrid quickly consulted her plans with the younger girl and Oili volunteered to lead her back to the village, she needed to go back anyway. The two girls swiftly walked through the tunnels, Astrid slowly getting a hang of where to go. After they came back to the surface, they parted their ways silently. Astrid reached her house from the wood's side. No one should be able to see her that way. 

The girl took a deep breath and walked out of the forest. She swiftly trotted to the building's wall and reached the backdoor. It was rarely used so she wasn't surprised when it didn't want to open at first. She yanked it with a bit more force and Astrid opened the door...only to be met with her father with an axe in his hand, ready to attack the possible burglar. Upon seeing his daughter, he lowered his weapon slowly and looked at her, shocked. 

"Astrid?" 

**A/N:**

 **[1] Conlectus – 'puddle' in Latin**

 **Hope you enjoyed it and that I didn't do too bad. :) I will try for the next chapter to be on time.  
**

 **Alciia:** _Thanks! I had a great time actually – so many castle ruins. 3 I feel as if I'm turning almost everything around in this story – not sure if it's good or not yet, haha. :D Yeah, it would be interesting to read. Valka dying instead of Stoick in the HTTYD 2 - I don't think I have seen something like that before. Good luck with that, then. :D_

 **Guest:** _Yes, very much serious. They understand each other more and Hiccup by now knows that nothing will stop Astrid from fighting. They both want to protect what they hold dear and it just so happens that it also means protecting each other. :D I hope your week went well too and this one will as well._

 **Fireicewriter42** _: Since I can't answer you via PM – thank you! I'm really glad that my story has piqued your interest. :D It's always so motivating to get messages like that, I'm sure you know what I mean. I hope that it was worth the wait and that you enjoyed the chapter. :)_

 **R &R**

 **Till next time.**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	21. The New Perspectives

**Hello everyone! (Sorry that the story has been 'updated' too fast. I just wanted to delete the previous note and I had no idea it would cause the story to appear on the front page.) :/ I'm still quite new to the site.**

 **Anyway, I'm back! I want to thank you so, so much for all the support, all the messages and for your patience. I didn't expect such a huge, and positive, feedback. You are amazing and wonderful and I just want to hug you all. :D Longer break equals longer chapter, apparently. ;)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How To Train Your Dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Warning: Mild language (just a little, though)**

 **Read on. :D**

 **CHAPTER 21**

 **The one with new perspectives**

Astrid was stuck. 

"Astrid…" Egil Hofferson, a person famous for his calm, almost stony demeanor when facing unexpected situations, stared, the hand with the weapon slowly lowering towards the ground. His blue eyes, darker, deeper than her own, were open wide with shock. It was a huge accomplishment to make the Chief of Bjargey speechless. Astrid wasn't comforted by that thought as she stood at the back entrance, fixed to the floor herself. Her throat tightened as she observed her father. She… she should say something. It all seemed much easier on the way there. Go inside, convince her parents, fly to the Dragon's Edge. Easier said than done for sure. She had no idea where to start. Hiccup made it look so easy. 

"Dad." She finally uttered, taking a step forward and closing the door behind her. Egil was staring at her as if she were a draugr. What must he be thinking, seeing his daughter so far away from the place which should be her new home? Astrid balled her fists tightly by her sides. She heard some shuffling coming from somewhere in the house and then someone coming their way. The girl tensed as she realized that there might be someone beside her family in the house – that was something she had not thought of before. Quite unlikely at that hour, though still not impossible. 

"Egil, dear, what's going – " Her mother's gaze locked with Astrid's. The woman dropped the wooden plate she had in her hands and brought a shaking hand to her mouth. "Astrid?" she whispered, pale in the face. Unsurprisingly, all the commotion made Gunnar come as well. At first he looked surprised, understandably so. He was not informed of the plan, that much was clear. Astrid made the smallest of nods his way and his, previously tense, shoulders relaxed, even if a little bit. It was reassuring knowing that she had her brother on her side. She was glad that she got the chance to tell him her darkest secret – the one they now shared. 

"What happened?"Egil's voice was quiet and unusually timid. His thumb kept obsessively scratching the leather at the end of the axe's handle; a sign of her father's obvious discomfort. Astrid moved even further into the house, the old, wooden floor creaking with each step she took. The missing weight of her favorite weapon made her feel less secure but Astrid ignored it, or at least did her best to. She saw the Chief's eyes wandering over her, staying longer on her bandaged wrists. "Did ye… did ye run away? Did someone hurt ye?" 

"No." Astrid stated strongly, shaking her head. "No, dad. I'm fine." She took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "I didn't run away either. Hiccup knows I'm here."That didn't seem to ease the situation. If anything, it rose even more questions. Astrid straightened her back. She needed to do this - she _would_ do this. 

"I have something important to tell you." Everything, every _one_ , was quiet, the silence becoming almost deafening. All eyes were on her. "Just… remember that I love you," Saying those words felt weird on her tongue. It was something rather obvious, not something that was often said, not in the Hofferson household anyway. "and… and that I would _never_ do anything that would brought any harm to you or the village." At least not on purpose. By telling her father she was doing the _right_ thing. Drago Bludvist was coming, like it or not, and the tribes had to be ready. Dragon Riders' allies or enemies, Drago would not care in the slightest. They had to be aware of the upcoming danger to be able to react on time. 

"Astrid…ye're worrying me, darlin'." Solveig came close to her daughter, not really knowing what she should do in such situation. The woman held out her hand to put it on her daughter's shoulder only to stop herself in the last second. Astrid eyed her mother's hand and swallowed slowly. If only they could see what Hiccup showed- She bit her lip as a sudden idea came to her. Her heart beat a bit faster at the new, and maybe better, way to deal with her current situation. Perhaps _showing_ was what she needed to do. Astrid might not trust herself with explaining her parents what was going on _but_ she trusted _Stormfly_ to do it for her. 

"I'll explain everything but let me _show_ you first." Astrid's mother and father exchanged unsure looks. It was now or never. "You _have_ to come with me." She added heatedly, making her way back towards the old backdoor. She turned around, her thick braid hitting her back, and looked at her family in anticipation. They had to trust her, they had to give her the benefit of the doubt. She was their perfect daughter, she had never failed them before. 

Then why were they hesitating? 

"Why can't ye just tell us?" Egil Hofferson was not known to be the most patient Viking on the island. His brow was furrowed in, what Astrid assumed was, annoyance and impatience. There was some concern as well, though her father tried very hard not to show it so openly. Astrid knew her behavior was not exactly normal and the fact that she turned out of blue like that didn't help either. But she needed them to trust her and she had a feeling that if she tried to explain it to them, without showing, she would mess up badly. And there wasn't going to be a second chance. 

"Just do what she asks, dad." Gunnar's confident voice cut through the tense air like a well-sharpened knife. Astrid smiled at her brother with gratitude. In times like these, Gunnar's inner Chief came out. He was a leader by heart, no one could deny it, and even though he was only fifteen years old, Astrid could already see what a great Chief he would become in the future. He strode past Egil and Solveig, ignoring their stunned expressions, and opened the backdoor without much trouble. Astrid followed after him and their parents joined, not really having much choice at that point. Taking the lead, Astrid turned towards the well-known clearing as that was where she told Stormfly to wait for her. Going into the forest that begun behind their home was the best option, almost no one went there. She heard her parents talking to each other in the back but the blonde shook it off. She believed that it all would go well and according to the plan. She couldn't afford anything less. Her brother quickly reached her. His company was reassuring, him being the additional, and much needed in that moment, support. 

"What happened to your hands?" Gunnar asked, pointing to the bandaged wrists. Astrid moved them out of her brother's sight. 

"I… it's nothing, Gun. Don't worry." The blonde forced a smile. The skeptical look her younger brother was giving her was not helping at all but she understood where the concern was coming from. She would be worried too if the tables were turned. But Gunnar needed to trust her. Astrid only hoped that he didn't think it was Hiccup's fault. She was well-aware that, with all of the things happening lately, her brother was not exactly his biggest fan. 

"I'll tell you, just… not now." It was a bad idea, she knew. Drago Bludvist and all of the things that concerned him were really serious matters, ones that should not be talked about as if it were a normal conversation topic. Astrid didn't know whether she was allowed to tell Gunnar about what happened, about the ship and the slaves, but he was her brother and, in her eyes, he deserved to know the truth. Well, most of it anyway. She didn't exactly want to tell him about _everything_ she saw, Gunnar was too young and too innocent for that in her eyes. The sun was already high in the sky, indicating that most of the villagers should be already up and about. Maybe an argument had already broken out. They would probably look for their Chief in that situation. She had to hurry. The closer the clearing was, the more nervous she got. The girl tried to prepare some kind of a speech in her head but she knew there was no point. She saw her parents shooting the siblings glances from time to time. The clearing appeared before them too soon in Astrid's taste. 

Astrid had been here so many times recently. So many life-changing situations had taken place in that clearing by the forest. Well, it appeared, that it would witness another one in a moment. Astrid noticed Stormfly hidden by some trees. Upon seeing her, the dragon wanted to greet 'her human' but the girl stopped her in time. She gently shook her head to indicate for the dragon to stay where she was. Astrid then took a deep breath and looked at her parents. They were looking at her, waiting to finally hear some kind of an explanation. 

"Firstly, I just want to say that some things appear to be different than they are in reality. And sometime we're wrong about the way we see things." Astrid exchanged a quick look with Gunnar. "Mom, Dad, I want you to put all your weapons on the ground." Egil looked at his daughter as if making sure if she was being serious. Apparently she was. 

"Astrid, what is the meaning of all this?" the man asked as both he and his wife hesitantly did what Astrid asked for. An axe and a sword were laid on the soft grass. The girl shook her head slowly and reached before her as if to calm her parents down. She needed to do it well. 

"You just have to _trust_ me. And please… don't freak out." After casting one, last look at her disoriented parents, she brought a hand to her mouth and whistled. Stormfly, happy that she was finally allowed to greet her Rider, trotted quickly to stand by her side. The dragon titled her head slightly to the side, observing the two, unknown to her, humans. Not seeing a threat in them, at least for now, the dragon proceeded to nudge the blonde girl, asking for attention. Astrid cringed as she saw her parents slowly trying to comprehend what they were witnessing. Gunnar, as to further prove his sister's point, placed his hand on the Nadder's side.

"Oh Gods above…" her mother whispered quietly as she clawed onto her shirt. Her father's face seemed to be emotionless but Astrid knew him well and she could see he was not happy. Not happy at all. That was expected, though. It was up to her now to try and convince them that what they were seeing wasn't bad, that it wasn't _wrong_ or _treacherous_. 

"Astrid." Egil started calmly, though the girl could see he was far from that. "Why are ye touching that devil?" Egil gritted his teeth and balled up his fists. He was ready to grab the axe that was laying on the grass, and attack the dragon. One wrong move and everything would go down. Stormfly, somehow sensing the tense situation, moved to the side and started growling quietly. 

"They're not devils Dad. They're actually loyal, loving creatures that-" 

"Enough!" Astrid winced at her father's shout. He rarely ever raised his voice, Astrid almost forgot how loud he could be. "Who told ye that bullshit?!" 

"That's not bullshit! Dad, if you just listened to me-" Astrid narrowed her eyes in anger, placing a firm hand on Stormfly's head. If he thought she was going to back down, he had another thing coming. 

"I won't listen to any of that nonsense. Get away from that beast!" The Nadder's growls started to be louder. Astrid heard a _SNAP_ that indicated the dragon's tail, full of poisonous spines, was ready to attack if necessary. 

"No! I'm not going anywhere!" Astrid answered back heatedly. She was a Hofferson and she would not back down. 

"Don't ye remember what a dragon did to yer own family?" Astrid's breath caught in her throat. Why would he do that? Why would he bring up uncle Finn? Why couldn't he just leave him out of it? Astrid balled up her fists. 

"I _do_ remember." She hissed out. "But if there's a chance, even a small one, for this war to end, I'll take it. Do you think uncle Finn would prefer us to die, rather than live in peace?" Astrid shook her head, that was a low blow. "I know it's hard. What happened to uncle Finn was horrible but it's not what you think." 

"I cannae believe it. My own daughter…my own son...! Finn would be-" 

"Enough!" Astrid, Gunnar and their father all turned their heads towards Solveig. She was known for her calm and peaceful nature. Hardly ever did she shout, or got angry for that matter. She preferred to resolve arguments by talking things out - an unusual method when it came to theVikings but no one questioned it as Solveig was often able to resolve the argument avoiding any bloodshed. She was the voice of reason during conflicts and villagers had respect for her. Yet, the few times that Solveig _did_ get angry or yelled were not something pleasant to be witness of. 

"That's enough fer the two of ye! I don't know why Astrid or Gunnar did what they did but I want to believe they have a reason fer their actions." Solveig turned her gaze to her two children. Astrid pressed her lips together seeing her mother's stern look. " And that whateva made them do it is worth it." 

"It is… it's important." Astrid's hand went to the end of her braid, pulling it slightly. Gunnar nodded vigorously, trying to further emphasize the point. Astrid took a deep breath, straightened her back and looked at her father with new determination. 

"Dad, come here." Egil immediately shot her in incredulous look that turned into a scowl fast enough. 

"I'm not coming near tha' beast of yers. It will attack the moment I come closer. I can see it in its peepers." Stormfly let out a low growl and Astrid cursed the Nadder. She was not helping the situation at all. 

"Easy there, girl. I need you to cooperate, okay?" The girl muttered to the dragon, gently running her hand over the reptile's neck. The Nadder calmed slightly upon the touch, her eyes dilating into black puddles. Turning to her parents again, Astrid shook her head slowly. "She's just scared. She would never hurt anyone without a reason." 

"Astrid's right. Just… just give her a chance." Gunnar dragged in. 

"Have I ever failed you before?" No waiting for response, Astrid continued. "Have I _ever_ put my village or you in danger? I _need_ you to trust me. Just this one time try to understand, give me a chance, give _them_ a chance. Dad, please, if what I want to show will not convince you, I… " She bit her lip, not knowing what else to say. He had to at least try to listen to her. Her mother was biting her lip as well, her light blue eyes on her husband. Egil opened his mouth only to close it almost immediately. Slowly, he moved towards the light blue dragon. His shoulders were extremely tense and his eyes, now nervous rather than confident, kept flickering between his daughter and the reptile beside her. The Nadder squawked and titled her head, unsure of the approaching man's intentions. A feet away from the dragon, Astrid gestured for her father to stop where he was. She closed the distance between them and grabbed one of Egil's big and scarred hands. He didn't seem to notice as he was fully focused on the Deadly Nadder before him. The dragon and the Chief eyed each other skeptically. Astrid pulled the older man and outstretched his hand towards the Nadder. Stormfly hissed in warning, though, her tail higher and ready to strike. Was Astrid doing something wrong? Wasn't that how Hiccup did it? 

"I'll show ye beast not to hiss at me." Egil muttered under his breath and was about to take his hand away when Astrid remembered something. 

"Dad, wait!" She grabbed his hand tighter. "Turn your head to the other side. She doesn't trust you yet." 

"I don't trust _it_ either." Astrid growled under her breath. She got it – Vikings were stubborn – but for the love of Freya…! She sent her father an angry look and with one last glance at the winged creature, he did as he was asked. The Deadly Nadder turned her head away, a clear sign she was not interested in making friends with the obnoxious human. 

"Stormfly." Astrid stated firmly to get the dragon's attention. The girl crossed her arms over her chest and pointed to her father with her head. Stormfly seemed to have sighed, if dragons could even sigh that is, and leaned in, her snout pressing onto Egil's outstretched palm. They were both stiff, though, and it was clear neither of the felt comfortable with the other so close. 

"Just try to relax Dad. Dragons feel that kind of stuff. " Astrid remembered when it was her in the exact same place. Hiccup showed her the truth about dragons and she could only hope that it would work with her parents as well. The dragon closed her eyes as she pressed herself further into the man's hand. Astrid noticed her father's body relaxing a little and the girl wondered whether he felt the same way she did when she touched a dragon for the first time. Exhaling slowly, the Chief turned his head back towards the Deadly Nadder. The hostility in his eyes had been replaced with something resembling wonder, curiosity; disbelief was present there as well. He moved his hand slightly and stroked the dragon's head absently. Stormfly purred barely audibly, letting out a soft puff of air. Finally, he snapped his head back to his daughter. 

"How is that even possible? What kind of sorcery is that?" Egil asked, furrowing his brow. 

"The dragons are not what we think they are." Astrid ran a hand over Stormfly's blue-yellow scales and smiled softly. "The raids; they weren't dragons' fault." 

"What do ye mean by that?" Solveig finally took a few steps closer. She was nervously glancing at the dragon from time to time, still not comfortable to be in such close presence. 

"There was a Queen in the Nest. She controlled the dragons to bring her food. In the meantime dragons were starving." 

"How do ye know about this?" Egil narrowed his blue eyes. "How long have ye been lying to us?" Astrid winced inwardly at her father's tone. She knew that the whole thing would bring up questions, uncomfortable ones. She hated lying but she did what she thought was the best option at the time. Now, the girl wasn't so sure. Well, there was no point in hiding the truth anymore. 

"Hiccup told me. Two months ago." Egil's eyebrows shot up in surprise. 

"Hiccup?" Astrid nodded slowly, waiting for her father's reaction. "He's one of _them_?" her father whispered in disbelief. His hand fell limp by his side as the Bjargey's Chief was probably going over the time Hiccup was on the island, trying to figure out how he could have missed the signs. "That little-" Astrid decided to interfere. 

"They're good Dad. They want peace." Egil looked at her incredulously. 

"By attacking our home?! By destroying our villages?!" 

"They do that because they have to. They just want the dragons free!" Egil snorted. Astrid, scowling at her father's response, continued. " Maybe it's time to finally bury the hatchet, to start anew? There are bigger problems than the conflict with the dragons right now." That got her father's attention. 

"What problems?" Astrid cursed herself. Why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut? She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts. 

"I can't tell you right now. But that's the reason I'm trying to tell you about all this now. There's a meeting, a Chief meeting, for the main islands of the Archipelago tomorrow at night." Egil crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. 

"And how come I don't know anything about it?" Astrid shook her head. 

"You weren't supposed to know. It's on another island. _I'm_ supposed to take you there." Her father seemed to be deep in thought, a frown still present on his face. " _Please,_ Dad. This meeting should make things much clearer." Egil looked up to see his daughter's pleading expression. Then his gaze turned back to the blue-yellow reptile which was observing the big Viking with new-found curiosity. Astrid could see the conflict on his face. She knew it had to be a difficult decision but she hoped he would give the dragons a chance. The blonde teen wondered if her father thought this was all a trap, that she was lying to him once again. 

"I'll go to that meeting." Astrid breathed out a sigh of relief upon hearing her father's response. 

"Thank you." She smiled but Egil did not return it. Her own smile faltered slightly. The girl rolled her shoulder and cleared her throat. "Meet me here tomorrow, the same time." 

* * *

He came the next day just as the day was starting. 

Astrid half-expected that her father wouldn't turn up at all or that he would bring some men along with him and sent her to prison for going against common believes. She underestimated him, though, and she was glad that Egil decided to give her a chance. Their parting the day before was an awkward and tense one. Even after encouragement from her and Gunnar, Solveig stayed where she was, unwilling to touch a dragon. She didn't seem as hostile, that was good, but Astrid was still a bit disappointed. The blonde really hoped the meeting at the Dragon's Edge would convince her father as to dragons' true nature. Astrid stayed in the cove for the rest of the day. Finally having the time to read through the modified version of Book of Dragons, she focused on the new species of dragons – Shovelhelms, Catastrophic Quackens and many, many others. Dragons were an intriguing bunch that was for sure, she always thought that, but only now did she also see some remarkable beauty in them. 

The next day Astrid quickly gathered her things and went to the clearing with Stormfly in tow. She was in the process of preparing the Nadder's saddle when she heard some rustling coming from the bushes nearby. Automatically, the girl reached for her closet weapon, a dagger that she had hidden in her belt, and gripped it tightly, ready to attack if it was necessary. The rustling became louder and, much to her relief, a familiar blond man came out. Seeing no one beside him, Astrid released the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. 

"I'm glad you came, Dad." She sent him a small smile and turned around to fix one of the stirrups. 

"When ye said on another island, ye meant…" 

"We have to fly there. On Stormfly." Astrid nodded. Egil sighed, probably expecting such an outcome. He seemed less hostile, though. Maybe he changed his mind after all? Even if only a little bit? He had some time to think, not much but perhaps Gunnar had talked to him. Egil looked back and forward between his daughter and her dragon. Trying to calm her beating heart, Astrid mounted Stormfly and looked at her father expectantly. Egil sighed, knowing there was no other way, and got on the dragon awkwardly, almost falling in the process. It was clear he didn't feel comfortable atop the Nadder, he was extremely tense and his blue eyes kept flickering from side to side as if looking for an escape in case something happened. 

"If that beast tries anything-" 

The Chief of Bjargey didn't get to finish as the dragon shot up to the sky. He immediately grabbed Astrid's shoulders tightly. The said girl was currently panicking. What was going on? Why would Stormfly _do_ that? 

"Stormfly! What are you doing?!" she tried get a hang of the rains but her dragon decided to do a barrel in mid-air, making the grip on her shoulders even tighter. She herself griped the saddle not to fall off. Not the barrel roll, of all the things – _not_ the barrel roll. Astrid felt the small dagmálshe had in the morning coming back up. She screwed her eyes shut, trying not to panic. She brought the reins to her chest, trying to stop the dragon and whatever nonsense that was going on. Why would Stormfly behave that way? She knew that Astrid didn't handle those kind of things well yet. 

"Oh Gods…." The blonde girl moaned, her head spinning. The dragon started free-falling towards the sea beneath them. Her father's grip started to be unbearable and the girl felt herself close to passing out. She figured the dragon must've felt how tense Egil had become. And all those things he said didn't help much either. They were nearing the vast waters and Stormfly wasn't listening to anything the girl was saying to her. 

"I'm sorry." A deep, accented voice crocked out from behind her. Astrid dared to open her eyes for a split moment. That turned out to be a huge mistake as they were quickly getting closer to the water's surface. Astrid closed her eyes again, preparing herself for the worst."I'm sorry." 

There was no impact. 

Astrid hesitantly opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the Nadder leveled out. The grip on her shoulders loosened slightly. The blonde turned her head to see if her father was okay. He didn't even notice that as he was busy looking round. Astrid recognized the expression: bewilderment, wonder. The same feeling she felt every time she flew. 

"Amazing…" Egil whispered, reaching out to the clouds with his right hand, the same way Astrid did on her first flight. Then his gaze landed on the island in the distance. "I've lived on Bjargey my whole life, traveled throughout the whole forest, climbed its mountains, swam its waters and yet, I couldn't imagine it looking more beautiful than it does now." Astrid felt herself smile. She couldn't help but agree. Bjargey truly looked magnificent from the air. The flight, although long, was quiet. Even during a few quick stops on the way, Astrid nor Egil were used to long rides like that, the two Hoffersons only had some small and pretty meaningless conversations. Both were not ready to touch upon more serious subjects. When on Stormfly, Astrid simply didn't want the magic to disappear. 

It was already dark when they arrived. As the tiredness started getting to her, Astrid almost missed the island. Thankfully Stormfly knew where to go. The dragon neared the huge island and started descending towards the familiar clearing on the eastern side. Even though there had been a lot of dragons there the last time, now the place was extremely crowded. With some difficulty, Stormfly managed to find herself a spot to land. As they finally reached the island, Astrid swiftly jumped off the Nadder. She turned to help her father down but he ignored her hand and clumsily slid off the leather blonde girl looked around and was somewhat relieved upon recognizing Conlectus and Windsheer among other dragons. 

"Astrid." The said girl turned around to see Heather walking towards her. She nodded towards the blonde and Egil who was busy observing his surroundings. His shoulders were extremely tense from all the dragons around him. Astrid really hoped that everything would be fine. Heather placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder, breaking her out of her reverie. 

"I will lead you and your father to the meeting." The girl grabbed Astrid's hand and pulled her along. Stormfly stretched her wings and made a move to follow them. Seeing that, Heather gestured with her hand for the dragon to stay where she was. Astrid opened her mouth to ask what she was doing but decided against it. Heather was someone she could trust, right? She knew more about the dragons than Astrid did after all. The blue Nadder still seemed hesitant but the blonde nodded to her reptile companion, a sign that it was fine. 

"Dad." Astrid snapped. She was glad that the previous hostility was gone but her father seemed to have travelled to some other world completely. She pulled on his arm to get his attention. Fortunately Egil reacted and followed after his daughter and the black-haired teen. Despite the late hour, most buildings were alit and the villagers were outside chatting or just relaxing after a long day of work. A music of some sort could be heard in the distance. Heather and the two Hoffersons neared a small, innocent-looking hut. Heather opened the wooden door that led them into a tiny room. It was crumpled with all sorts of things, Sheets of paper were strewn around and a thick layer of dust covered some old furniture. On the left side there was a steep stairwell. Heather made sure the door was closed properly and started going down the stairs. Soon they found themselves in one of the corridors underground. Heather lit up a torch and they started moving forward. Looking around, Astrid tried to remember whether she had been there before but it didn't seem so. The corridor was like many others she had seen before. 

"Hiccup's not here yet but he should arrive any time now." They reached a heavy, wooden door and Heather yanked it open. Inside, a group of people was situated by a round table in the middle. Upon the door opening, all of them looked up. Astrid recognized Camicazi and her mother Big-Boobied Bertha, Thuggory and his father Mogadon, Princess Tantrum O'Ugerly and her father Ug the Uglithug. Sergius was there as well. Only Hiccup and Stoick the Vast were absent. Astrid tried to squish the feeling of concern. It was ridiculous, she tried telling herself. If Hiccup couldn't convince his father, who could? 

"The Hoffersons?" Mogadon, the Chief of the Meatheads, seemed surprised by their arrival. Since uncle Finn's death, the Hofferson family's position in the Archipelago wasn't near as strong as it had been before. The death had become a black stain on family' honor. And honor was something very important to Vikings, especially the leaders. Astrid's fists clenched without her even noticing it. She instantly turned defensive as she saw Mogadon's skeptical look. 

"It's good to see you, Astrid."The girl turned to the former slave. Sergius nodded to her, sending her a small, reassuring responded with a smile of her own, glad for the distraction. The door opened once more and Stoick the Vast entered the room. His face was devoid of any emotions and as he gazed around the room with his stony glare, all the conversations quieted instantly. Following him was his son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock The Third. Not in the usual oversized shirt, not with an unsure, almost scared expression on his face but cladded in dark armor made of leather and metal. His face resembled the one of his father. Astrid saw him swallowing slowly as if trying to calm himself down. The heirs sat by the round table and, at their request, their parents followed. Astrid locked eyes with Hiccup and the eighteen-year old sent her the smallest of smiles. She couldn't help but feel something went wrong. The girl saw her father bearing a hole in the young man's skull. Hiccup and Sergius, as the only ones left standing, began the meeting. 

"I think I should introduce myself." The older of the two started. " My name's Sergius. I'm the Chief of Dragon's Edge, the island you are currently on. I am honored to see that all the ones invited have arrived." The two men nodded to each other and Sergius took his place by the table. 

"I don't think there's a need for any more introductions." Hiccup looked around. "I'm sure you all want to know why this meeting is held and I'm glad you were willing to come." He took out a piece of folded paper from his armor. The teen unfolded it on the table. It turned out to be a map of the Barbaric Archipelago and bit more to the south. A small candle was placed in the center so that the whole map was visible. Hiccup's fingers twitched just slightly as he unwound the map. He gave the Vikings time to look over the map. Crossing his arms over his chest, he continued. 

"I'm sure that the name Drago Bludvist is not a new one." Some murmurs could be heard. 

"He disappeared years ago, lad." Ug was eying the teen suspiciously. "No one has heard about him since the gathering of the Chiefs seventeen years ago." Hiccup snorted slightly. 

"A person doesn't just disappear." The teen leaned closer to the map and pointed a few islands down south. "He simply moved somewhere else. But by laughing him off, you damaged his honor and Vikings don't take those matters lightly. I'm pretty sure you already know that." He added sarcastically. Astrid swallowed slowly, not daring to look at her father. 

"He burned the Hall, killed all Chiefs beside Stoick the Vast." Mogadon looked at Berk's Chief, yet the man did not say anything in response. Stoick kept on staring at the map, his brows furrowed in concentration. Bringing his gaze back to the lanky, young man in the middle, Mogadon added firmly. "He had his revenge already." 

"He wanted to fulfil his idea. The fire was a punishment but Drago Bludvist still intended to make his plans real." Thuggory said and Hiccup nodded in agreement. 

"So he hid further south, he was sure no one would suspect anything. He was building up an army the whole time." Tantrum added. The Chiefs exchanged glances between each other. If what has been said was true, they were in for some trouble. Only Stoick seemed unresponsive. His gaze was empty, there was clearly something wrong. Astrid noticed her father glancing at her from time to time but she decided to ignore it. 

"The Riders had been fighting with him for over a decade, doing the best they can but… that's not enough to stop Drago. " Hiccup locked his eyes with Astrid for a short second, before quickly looking away and focusing on the map on the table again. "I asked you to come because his army has crossed the Barbaric Archipelago and is getting closer with each day." 

"On what basis should we believe ye?" Astrid recognized her father's harsh tone immediately. She closed her eyes shut and pressed her lips tightly. "What if that's just another lie and Drago doesn't even exist? Ye've been lying to me – _us_ the whole can we know _ye_ are on the same side as us?" Hiccup's eyes turned cold in a matter of seconds. His lips formed into a thin line and his hands gripped the edge of the table. 

"Drago Bludvist is as real as he can be. If you don't believe me, then ask this island's inhabitants because most of them are his former slaves. You can try telling them that their pain was just made up or that it wasn't real. I personally dragged some of them out of the cages as they weren't capable of walking themselves." He hissed in response. Taking a deep breath, he continued in a much calmer voice. "If you have some personal issues with me Mr. Hofferson, I'll gladly discuss it later but now it's not a good time." 

"We know he's real because we've all seen him." Camicazi summed it up with a shrug. Hiccup shook his head. 

"The point is, we can't ignore it anymore or pretend that it won't concern us. Because it will, and if we don't do anything now…" he trailed off. 

"A war is upon us." Big-Boobied Bertha said with a realization. Stoick the Vast finally looked up. His grey eyes were cold, concentrated. 

"War is what he wants." Berk's Chief responded darkly. 

"The war has already begun." Hiccup shook his head violently. Seeing unsure faces of the rest of the people in the room, he continued. "But we have a trained army. We've been preparing for this for the last three years. There are _hundreds_ of people _and_ dragons on our side, even whole tribes further down south. They all had had enough of Drago's enslavement." The teen's speech brought the Viking Chiefs' attention. 

"Why do ye need us, then? Ye seem to be doing well enough yerselves."Mogadon raised an eyebrow skeptically. 

"Because we, alone, still don't stand a chance against Drago's bigger army. If we fail, he'll have an open entrance to all the islands in the Archipelago. We can't keep to ourselves anymore–he'll just destroy one tribe after another. If we start the preparations now, we'll get ready in time. We can win this. Together." 

"Either we win or we lose and there's nothing to come back to. There is no third option. "Sergius stated darkly. Silence came over the whole room. The situation was serious, very serious. The fate of the Barbaric Archipelago was hanging by a thread. Astrid's stomach twisted uncomfortably. She knew what the situation was but it only now hit her how bad it had recently become. Sergius was right – it was either them or Drago. And Astrid was sure that if that monster ever got the power over the Archipelago, the dark times would arise. Slavery, rapes and murders would be something of daily basis. They had to stand together, go past their differences and silly disputes – fight for their homes and families. 

"I deeply apologize for lying." Hiccup started, casting a quick look towards Egil, before his gaze turned back towards the map. "I apologize for all the secrets, for making other people lie on my behalf. I thought it would make them safer, that it would protect them in some way. I saw no other option at the time. We only wanted to keep the peace, prevent the war from happening, keep both people and dragons safe and maybe finally showing you that we could live together in harmony. Unfortunately, the circumstances won't allow us that." 

"Mom, other Chiefs from the Archipelago, we _have_ to take action now. Before it's too late." Camicazi banged her fist on the table **.** Astrid could see that the adults were processing everything that had been told them. She looked at her father and saw that he was deep in thought as well. 

"You can wait with your decision until tomorrow morning." Hiccup took the map and started folding it up. "Please, make your choice wisely. And I expect you not to attack any of the island's residents, be it a human or a dragon. Breaking this rule will be followed by immediate consequences."He hid the piece of paper inside his armor and went to open the door. After they left the underground system, the eighteen-year old excused himself, promising Astrid to return shortly. The Chiefs, except Stoick the Vast, were discussing the meeting that just ended as they were led by Sergius to their guest houses. Even her father joined in the conversation. The heirs stayed at the end and had a chat of their own. Astrid joined neither of those groups and somehow found herself walking beside her father-in-law. They didn't talk to each other but the girl saw the older man observing her from the corner of his eye. Astrid wondered what he was thinking about. He had to fly there on the dragon, with Hiccup, so he knew the truth. But something was wrong, yet the blonde couldn't quite put her finger on it. Stoick the Vast didn't seem like a person that would be easy to convince. She would have to ask Hiccup about what happened… 

"I don't understand why it was the Hiccup lad that led the whole thing." Bertha mused and Astrid saw the heirs exchanging glances, uncomfortably. "Shouldn't it be the Rider's leader, The Dragon Master, that explained it all?" Apparently the concept of _Hiccup_ being the Dragon Master was too absurd to even consider it. Astrid wasn't surprised, given the Berk's heir's reputation. Stoick slowly looked up, his green eyes almost empty. What he said next made all the Chiefs stop walking. 

"It _was_ the Dragon Master that was speaking the whole time." 

**A/N:**

 **Gah, I hope it was fine. I feel that I'm completely out of touch. Since there has technically been two 'chapters', here are the answers to the guest reviews for both of them, from the earliest to the latest.**

 **Chapter 20** **:**

 **Guest 1** **:** _Thanks! I hope that you enjoy this one just as much (even though there has been a delay). :D_

 **Guest 2:** _Some people, from what I heard anyway, had actually some problems with Drago being too easy to hate. While it would be good to see some more of his past, I think it was just fine the way it was. To me he represents a tyrant, he's an archetype for one. He's a human version of the Red Death – he's not supposed to be likable. I'm sure that this experience was eye-opening for Astrid, it shows her that Drago is not a person to be underestimated. It emphasizes how vital it is to join forces. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :D_

 **Alicia** **:** _Well, now I feel horrible… You have no idea how much your reviews are motivating, really._ _And, believe me, if I could, I would update that often. Unfortunately life is life. But, hey! Congrats on the test results – this is amazing! You should really be proud of yourself! I'm really sorry for the long wait but, hopefully, it was worth it. :D_

 **HTTYDLover & Guest 3** _: I'm really sorry for the confusion. As I stated in the beginning, I did it by accident. I didn't realize that by deleting my note about being absent for some time, it will be automatically marked as 'updated'. :/_

 **Important Apology** **:**

 **KiraB** **:** _That's good to hear – I'm actually kind of relieved. I hope your trip went well and that you liked the chapter. :D_

 **Guest 1:** _The biggest issue is the fact that I really, really enjoy writing and_ _ **that**_ _is what makes me relaxed. I'm glad I'm back. It should be getting better and better now. :D_

 **TMYSchol** **:** _Thank you! I'm actually kind of a worry wart so getting messages like that really made me sigh in relief. And I do feel better now so that's good. I hope you liked the chapter! :D_

 **Guest 2** **:** _ **I**_ _was not happy I was doing that, that's for sure. ;) It really pained me, mainly because writing is what makes me relaxed. But I'm all better now. I don't think I have fans, though haha. :D Readers at most, the same way I'm a reader too. I'm just sharing what my weird brain comes up with. I'm glad you like it, though. ;D_

 **Guest 3** **:** _Thank you for patience! I sincerely hope that it actually was worth the wait. I wouldn't want for there to be a three week gap and then the chapter comes out sloppy and just 'meh'. :D_

 **Sunliye** **:** _Thank you! I'm really happy you think so. I'm worried about how the characters' are coming out because I don't want them to lose vital parts that make them who they are. Hiccup and Astrid should still be_ _ **Hiccup**_ _and_ _ **Astrid**_ _, even though it's an AU. And I'm glad you like the plot too. I kind of grew attached to this universe, haha_ _Here's to hope that I will execute it well. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

 **Guest 4** **:** _Thank you! I hope I didn't disappoint. :D_

 **Ruby** **:** _I'm sooo glad to hear that – I'm non-stop anxious about them. I don't want Hiccup and Astrid to become someone they are not. Yes, appropriate for the AU I'm writing but still_ _ **them**_ _somehow. Do not worry my friend, more fluff is sure to come. I'm so happy you like Oili too – I really didn't want to make a Mary-Sue out of her or anything of that sort. At first glance she is supposed to be just the type of person Astrid would hate but upon closer inspection, someone she can actually relate to. If that makes sense. :D_

 **Maisie** **:** _Yeah… It's not Dagur but I do have reasons why Drago was chosen as the main antagonist in the story. First of all, Drago Bludvist is a more 'global' threat. While Dagur is also a villain, his action center around the same area in which he is. His motives are different as well. I chose Drago because his sickening ambition to control the dragons and people is something far more dangerous than Dagur and his Armada. He is more intelligent than the Berserker Chief, he knows how to manipulate, to create the reactions he wants to receive and how to use other's disadvantages. As I stated in other review answer, to me, he is the human equivalent of the Red Death which means no mercy and his own needs that have to come first. :D_

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	22. The Race

**Hello there peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How To Train Your Dragon: books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Warning: It is very probable that not everything you will read is going to be historically accurate. Just wanted to put it out there. ;)**

 **CHAPTER 22**

 **The one with the race (against time)**

Astrid was sidelined. 

After the big reveal of who exactly Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was, the discussion between the Chiefs' had gotten even louder and more emotion-filled. There were different reactions to what Stoick the Vast said but all of the Chiefs, except for Hiccup's father who continued to walk unfazed, had something to say about it. Fortunately enough, Heather, dressed in some linen dress instead of her normal armour, came around and took Astrid away in order to show her the house she and Hiccup would be sleeping in. The other heirs were to stay with their parents in the guest houses but, as Hiccup and her were married, Astrid stayed with him instead. Being a frequent visitor to Dragon's Edge, the eighteen-year old had his own small hut on the outskirts of the village. All the residents seemed to had already gone to sleep and the streets, so crowded and loud during the day, now felt almost abandoned. Only a few torches were alit, left for them and the guards to see the way. The walk to their destination was quick despite the village's not so small size. Perhaps it seemed this way as Astrid had once again lost herself in her thoughts. After such an eventful day, it was no wonder. The road, made of evenly-cut pieces of grey stone, made it more pleasant to walk, especially at such late hour. The houses on the sides of the road were similar to each other, all made out of stone, though some had stables on the side. Inside them, dragons of different size and colour rested after a long day, snoring loudly. At least Astrid hoped it were the dragons. 

"So, how did it go?" Heather asked, breaking the silence. It was pretty late already, Astrid noted, briefly glancing up at the night sky. The girl wondered whether she was even allowed to tell the black-haired Rider about what happened at the meeting. It was the Chiefs' meeting after all. But there was also the fact that Hiccup clearly trusted Heather a lot, that much was evident from their interactions. Astrid decided to keep it safe for now. 

"It went fine. I think." the blonde answered absently. She wasn't sure of the outcome herself if she were to be honest. Sure, the Chiefs listened, but Astrid didn't know if they actually understood how serious the current situation was. They had the time to think it all through, that was good. She hoped they would make the right decision, her father included. "They seem to be slowly leaning towards our side." Astrid added after a moment. Heather nodded in response and silence came over them again. Astrid wasn't one for breaking the ice but the lack of any sound whatsoever was hanging over the two girls heavily. It wasn't a comfortable silence Astrid often experienced with Hiccup, his presence alone being enough, but rather an awkward and unnerving one. 

"Hiccup should be here shortly." Heather glanced sideways, sending her a quick look. She reached into one of the pockets in her dress and took out a set of keys. The girl handed them to Astrid and, as she didn't see anything else to do there, was about to head back to the centre of the village. Clutching the keys in her hand, Astrid called out after her. 

"Wait!" Heather turned around just as Astrid reached her. "Where did Hiccup go?" The black-haired teen smiled lightly. 

"He needed to prepare something." Seeing Astrid's cautious expression, she added. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll explain it all to you when he comes back." Glancing up at the night sky, Heather did something similar to a shrug. "Anyway… You must be exhausted, goodnight Astrid." As if on cue, the blonde felt herself yawning. Bringing a hand to her mouth, she responded with a quick 'goodnight' and went to open the door of the hut before her. She noticed a wooden stable on the side. Surprisingly, Stormfly was there but the dragon was asleep and Astrid didn't have the heart to wake her up. As she entered the house and lit a candle, Astrid decided that even though it was small, it was cosy as well. The hut consisted of only two rooms; a main, bigger one and a bedroom. It was clear that it was not used that often and was built to act only as a temporary place to stay. 

The bigger room looked like a typical Viking one. Even though the house itself was made out of stone, like most of them on Dragon's Edge, the inside had a floor and walls made out of wood. In the middle of it, there was a stove, just like the one they had in _their_ home back on Berk. A wooden table and a small bench was placed on the right side by a big window, inside of which there was that see-through thing again. She came closer and touched it with her hand, expecting to reach outside. Instead, her fingers touched a slightly cold and smooth surface that seemed to be a barrier between her and the world beyond the house's walls. It was… different, unexpected. She had never seen anything like it. Narrowing her eyes, Astrid saw some of her reflection in it. Turning around, she saw a big, round block of ice on the ground. Looking at it from different sides, she furrowed her brow in confusion. She had never seen anything like it and she honestly couldn't think of a function for the strange object. The walls of the main room were completely bare and the table was empty. Turning around, the girl made for the wooden door on the left side of the house. 

The bedroom was a lot smaller and contained only a bed, a small closet and a wooden desk beside the window. Sketches of dragons and odd machines were plastered on the walls around and Astrid smiled despite herself at Hiccup's trademark. The place was a bit messy, with sheets of paper strewn around in different places, but Astrid couldn't care less. Another yawn escaped her mouth and the girl made her way to the simple-looking bed. She almost jumped when, instead of wood, she sat on something soft and _very_ comfortable. The girl placed a hand on it to check it out. It was really comfy and Astrid welcomed the feeling with a happy sigh. She slowly discarded her armour, leaving only her red undershirt and dark-blue leggings on. Stacking her clothes in a corner, she returned to the bed. A roll of clean bandages was laying on the desk beside the bed and Astrid grabbed it. She doubted that Hiccup would be angry at her for that. The bandages she had on her wrists needed changing so that infection wouldn't settle in. The wounds weren't as bad as she thought they would be but it was better to be safe than sorry. After she finished, she laid on the bed, trying to stay awake till Hiccup returned. Her eyes started to drop and the girl decided that closing them for a moment would do no harm. 

Apparently she was more tired that she at first thought because when she woke up it was already morning. The other side of the bed was empty but it was clear it had been used recently. Astrid recognized one of Hiccup's green shirts laying by her side. She was underneath a pile of furs, so she assumed Hiccup covered her with it when he came back. The blonde knew that she should probably get up, start the day, but the bed was too comfortable, pulling her back in almost against her will. She could just stay and lay there all day, if she were to be honest. The sun was peering from the window placed on the wall in front of her and she scrunched up her nose at the unpleasant and unwanted light. The bedroom's door opened and Hiccup walked in, wearing only his brown, leather pants. His hair was wet and the few days old stubble was gone. Upon seeing her awake, he smiled warmly at her. 

"Good morning, M'lady." Astrid stretched her arms in front of herself. Her eyes quickly flickered to her husband's scarred chest before she closed them again. 

"Good morning." She answered sleepily. The girl cracked an eye open when she heard Hiccup chuckling. "What?" 

"I see you're enjoying the bed." Astrid hummed in agreement. Hiccup sat on the bed and the blonde turned to him, propping herself on her left elbow. Her other hand grazed the bed, slim fingers touching the soft furs. 

"What is it? I want it." Hiccup grabbed the dark-green shirt and pulled it over his head. He took out the pendant from the satchel that was laid beside the bed. 

"It's a _culcita_. **[1]** At least that's how it's called where Sergius comes from." Hiccup somewhat reluctantly handed her the precious object. "Would you mind tying it for me?" Astrid took the pendant from his hand and sat up in the bed. It was the first time she had it in her hands. Sure, he always had it on him while they…. Yeah, he rarely ever took it off, only to bathe himself. The whole thing looked simple enough, just a coin-shaped thing hanging off an overused cord. But the pendant was something extremely important to Hiccup. It was his safe token, it was what kept him sane, stable, in a way that even she couldn't. Astrid glanced at the metal thing hanging of the rope. The Haddock family crest was engraved in the middle with great care and detail. The blonde frowned as she saw something written around it. 

_**Til Danseriet og Drømmeriet**_ **[2]**

 _For the Dancing and Dreaming_. Astrid's breath caught in her throat. She knew that song; it was sometimes sang during Viking weddings. Why would Hiccup have it engraved- 

"It was my mother's." Hiccup's nasal voice brought her back to reality. Astrid quickly ran her thumb over the pendant before tearing her eyes away from it. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she gripped it tighter. 

"Sorry." She brought the necklace and tied it at the back of his neck. Her fingers shook a little as she made a knot. The girl hesitated a moment after which she buried her hands in Hiccup's still quite damp hair. His shoulders tensed momentarily and Astrid started to doubt whether it was a good idea. 

"What… what are you doing?" he asked, his voice slightly cracking. 

"I'm braiding your hair." Astrid stated as if it was something obvious, tying the first, small braid at the back of his head. Astrid knew that touching someone's hair was seen as a fairly intimate gesture but the seventeen-year old felt it was just the _right_ thing to do. She was showing him she cared that way. Plus, the small braids on the right side of his hair suited him in her eyes. Hiccup didn't protest, though he stayed tense, clearly not used to that kind of thing. Astrid finished the second braid and reached for one of his hands. He turned to her and sent her a small smile, slightly more relaxed with the familiar interaction. Astrid's mind travelled back to the meeting yesterday. She frowned remembering her father-in-law's unusual behaviour. She didn't want to pry into someone else's business but she felt she needed to know. She was part of the family now, anyway. 

"What happened? Yesterday, with your dad." Hiccup's smile faltered noticeably at her words. "He was acting kind of… weird." He rolled his shoulder slightly, clearly uncomfortable with the new topic. Nervous, he started to play with his fingers. 

"I-I showed him the truth. About the dragons. And he… well, he disowned me." Astrid's eyes widened as she gaped at her husband in disbelief. Surely he must be joking. Stoick wouldn't do that… At least she thought so. Sure, Stoick might seem emotionless and, well, _stoic_ most of the time but he would not _disown_ his own son, would he? Yet Hiccup's sad, green eyes reflected the truth. He furrowed his brow. "He was… furious at me for being a traitor, going against everything that I've been taught. That I lied to him." He shrugged emphatically, looking at the wall. "He brought my mother up. That she'd be ashamed if she saw me siding with the enemy." Hiccup cast her a look and shot her a bitter smile. "Irony, right?" 

"Did you tell him? About your mom?" Astrid saw Hiccup's Adam's apple bopping up and down. After a brief moment he nodded in affirmation. 

"When he went to attack, Toothless pinned him to the ground. After my dad somewhat calmed down, I-I showed him the pendant and my mom's notes. About how she… m-missed us, how she wanted to go back but couldn't." He shrugged slightly. "He didn't believe me at first, of course. But the more I told him, about mom, about Drago…. " Hiccup locked his emerald green eyes with Astrid's baby blue ones. "It was the first time in my life that he actually _listened_ to me." 

"But you convinced him. He came here with you." Astrid mused as she pressed herself into Hiccup's side. The eighteen-year old hesitantly brought an arm around her. Astrid tugged it closer. 

"He hates Drago… and finding out that that madman was the cause of his wife's death; it only added more fuel to the fire. He's still furious with me… getting him on Toothless was probably the hardest thing I've done in my life. He only agreed to all that because of Drago, though he stands by his policy to 'protect your own'." He ran his free hand over his face. "I've never had a good relationship with him but… it… it was never that bad. I-I don't know if I'll ever manage to fix it." He sighed and closed his eyes. The next statement, a mere whisper, broke Astrid's heart. "He hates me." 

"I'm sure he's just confused, Babe. He needs to think it all through. It'll be fine." Astrid cringed at her own tone. It didn't sound convincing but she didn't know what else to say. What _do_ you say it that kind of situations? She didn't know. She didn't want to mess it up any further by saying the wrong thing. 

"Your father, is he angry with you?" Hiccup asked in a strain voice. It was clear he wanted to change the topic as fast as possible and Astrid couldn't blame him. 

"At first – yes." Seeing the guilty expression on the taller teen's face, she quickly added. " _But_ he changed his mind. He seems to really enjoy flying." Hiccup opened his mouth to say something when Sharpshot flew in and nestled himself on the teen's head. Astrid's eyes narrowed instantly as she frowned at the disliked creature. Wincing at the dragon's sharp claws, Hiccup untied the small piece of paper from the Terror's leg. He briefly ran his eyes over the note and hid it in his pocket. The young man untangled himself from Astrid and stood up, much to the girl's displeasure. She glanced at him with anticipation. 

"You should get dressed. We need to get out soon." The blonde lazily got out of the bed. 

"What's the plan for today?" she quirked an eyebrow, seeing her husband taking out a small bag with something that looked like Dragon Nip. Astrid slipped on her armour and followed Hiccup out of the room. The girl quickly twsited a thick braid down her back, just like the one she always wore as a young child. She heard something on the side and when she turned, Astrid saw Toothless getting up from the weird ice block. So it was the Night Fury's bed, then. Huh… who would've thought. Hiccup put on his own armour, the one of the Dragon Master, and scratched the now fully-awake black dragon. 

"You'll go with Heather, she'll show you around. I, in the meantime, am going to teach the Chiefs how to train a dragon." 

* * *

The streets of Dragon's Edge were crowded as always, but Astrid started getting used to it. What was out of ordinary, though, were some colourful decorations hanging of the houses' rooftops and placed on the doors. They weren't there the day before, at least she didn't recall them. It looked like some kind of a festival was going to take place and the girl quickly went over any possible, important celebrations but nothing came to her mind. Maybe it was something celebrated only on the Edge, then. Excited villagers were greeting them from every side. They looked at her and Hiccup as if the two were some kind of heroes. Astrid hugged herself, not really sure what to do. The Night Fury and the Nadder seemed to have been enjoying it, though, holding their heads high. Maybe they liked it a bit _too_ much… 

"What's up with the decorations?" Astrid decided to redirect her focus from all the stares coming her way. 

"Annual Dragon Races." Hiccup answered simply, scratching Toothless under the jaw. The Night Fury crooned happily which caused Stormfly to demand some attention as well. Astrid petted the Nadder and turned to her husband with raised eyebrows. 

"Annual Dragon what?" A woman came to her and offered her some fresh fruits. Seeing as Hiccup took an apple, she grabbed one as well. "I, uhm, thank you." She added with a smile. The woman returned the gesture and nodded to her as if with gratitude. What was up with these people? She hadn't done anything to deserve such treatment. Hiccup surely, but her? 

"Annual Dragon Races." Astrid turned back to Hiccup. "Different age groups race on their dragons to catch sheep. The team or person that gets the most, wins." 

"That's… interesting." She said as she took a bite of the fruit. It was really juicy, something she wasn't accustomed to. The Viking food tended to be a bit tasteless. Fruits and vegetables weren't something common, only during summer months, but even then they were a rarity. Bjargey had some more because it was placed further south but it still tasted noting like the apple she had in her hand. "And people watch that? Is it a bit like Thawfest Games?" 

"It's actually pretty entertaining. For both the racer and the viewer." Hiccup shrugged as he took a bite. After a moment, he continued. "There aren't many rules, you can use weapons, try to throw someone off the dragon, steal the sheep, though nothing too dirty. It all varies between age groups." They passed a barn full of scared sheep. Some children were painting the poor animals in different colors. "A white sheep is worth one point, while the black one - ten." It _did_ sound interesting, especially since it appeared as a quite rough and challenging game at times. She saw some people painting their dragons as well. Paint was not something common on Bjargey; it was quite expensive actually. And these people used it just to paint their _dragons_? She couldn't understand it, wasn't this a waste of time and supplies? They passed the Great Hall and started going into, for her, unknown direction. Suddenly, Astrid saw a girl running towards them. She had a feeling she had seen her somewhere before and as the girl came closer, the blonde knew she had been right in her assumptions. 

The unevenly-cut brown hair and the scar running down the girl's face made her someone quite hard to forget. She had different clothes on; ones that actually were in the right size for her and without holes. She was much cleaner as well. All that and a smile that adored her face changed her almost completely. Almost. Because the image of the brown-haired girl on the slave ship flashed before the seventeen-year old's eyes and Astrid was sure that that and a few other images from that night would stay in her memory for quite some time. The girl ran up to her and, after a brief moment of hesitation, she slung her arms around Astrid. To say that the blonde Viking was surprised was an understatement. The apple Astrid was munching on earlier fell out her hand, Stormfly quickly taking up the occasion to get some extra food. Slowly, Astrid brought her own arms around the former slave and returned the hug. 

"Thank you." The brown-haired girl whispered in her ear and Astrid felt her voice trembling with emotion. The girl pulled back and the blonde saw two streams of tears coming from the other girl's eyes. She was smiling, though, and her brown eyes were sparkling with happiness. It was so refreshing to see her so… _alive_. The former slave looked to be about fourteen, fifteen years old at most, though the hair and the scar were making her look much older at first sight. 

"Liv **[3]**." The girl said, sticking out a bony hand. Astrid looked down at the girl and shook their hands. 

"Astrid." The blonde let out a smile, still a bit surprised about the whole thing. She heard a whistle coming from behind her and Liv's smile widened even more as she waved her hand. Astrid and Hiccup turned around to see a middle-aged, plump woman waving back. She had a rug in her hand and a huge smile on her face. 

"I need to go but… thank you. For saving my life." Liv hugged Astrid again. "You're my hero." She quickly whispered in Astrd's ear and pulled away, moving towards Hiccup. Liv quickly slung her arms around him and then trotted towards the awaiting woman. Astrid stood speechless, not really knowing how to react. She stared at Liv's retreating form. The petite girl moved with a slight limp and her arms were still bruised, sickening marks of rough hands visible on her otherwise pale skin. She had a long way before her but Astrid couldn't help but admire her good spirits. Liv was an inspiring, young girl, she decided. 

"You okay?" Hiccup's nasal voice brought her back to reality. She looked at her husband's concerned face and nodded her head slightly. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I just… I didn't expect that. It was a bit overwhelming." Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder, making Astrid look at him. 

"She is right, though." He smiled at Astrid's surprised expression. "You did save her life." He pressed his lips to her forehead for a second before he released her. "Come on." Astrid's legs moved on their own as her mind went over what happened a minute ago. She never expected that. It made her feel light to see that much pure gratitude from someone for something she did. Is that what Hiccup felt whenever he rescued a human or a dragon? She felt like she could do more, so much more, the whole thing motivating her to it. She was suddenly filled with a warm feeling and couldn't suppress a big smile. They continued walking through the village until they neared a much less crowded part of it. Heather, this time in her usual black armour, was leaning on the side of one of the houses. As Astrid and Hiccup came closer, she pulled away and put her hands on her hips. 

" I was getting worried." She moved closer. "It was getting kind of late." Upon saying that, Hiccup's head shot up upwards. He cursed under his breath. 

"I need to go. See you later." He kissed Astrid on the cheek quickly and mounted Toothless. In a matter of second, he was no more than a mere black speck in the sky above. 

"Come on. I want to show you something." Heather led her further away from the centre of the Dragon's Edge. All the houses were decorated with banners with different kinds of dragons on it. She recognized some of them, there were some Deadly Nadders and Monstrous Nightmares. But it didn't end there, it seemed that The Annual Dragon Races were something of huge importance here. The two girls left the village entirely, turning to walk through a small meadow with a trampled down route right in the middle. Stormfly eagerly followed, jumping around the grass and chasing some butterflies in the air. The verdure around the route was quite tall, easily reaching Astrid's tights. Looking forward, she saw something big in the distance. 

It looked like a training ground, at least all the armed people led her to think that. As she and Heather neared the spot, Astrid knew she assumed right. The place was huge, with different stations, all combined into one, enormous training camp. From a place to train your aim, to an arena for combat training, there was everything there. A place straight from dreams for most Vikings. What stood out the most, were weird contraptions by the edge of the island. Well, truth be told, they were placed beyond the edge. Thin, wooden platforms were hanging 'in the air' or at least that was what it looked like. They were connected with the island and each other by thin straps of wood, able to fit only one person when it came to its width. Surprisingly enough, there were people on the platforms and it appeared they were training there as well. One step in the wrong direction and you were sure to fall off the edge. As the blonde looked around, she couldn't help but be amazed. There was over a hundred people there, different age groups, females and males. Part of the training exercises were with assistance of the dragons and Astrid recognized some of the evasive manoeuvres from Hiccup's lessons back on Berk. That seemed years ago, though. 

"I see you like it." Astrid turned around at Heather's voice. The girl was smirking, obviously proud of their training ground. The blonde couldn't blame her; it sure was something. She had never see anything like it. "Wanna try it out?" It would be a lie to say that Astrid wasn't keen on trying out all the stations. She felt that she needed it. But there was one problem that was preventing her from agreeing instantly. 

"I don't… I lost my axe." She responded with a wince, the lack of familiar weight on her back now evident more than ever. 

"You can use one of ours. No problem." Heather clearly didn't see the issue. Astrid was still reluctant. She was used to her old weapon, its weight, shape. She knew it wouldn't be the same with any other axe. But she was also aware that the beloved weapon was long gone at the bottom of the Sullen Sea. There was no point in moping around; she needed to train. She couldn't allow for her skills to get rusty, especially with the danger of an upcoming war. Her shoulders slugged as she bit her lip in concentration. 

"I… guess I can borrow one of yours." The seventeen-year old said with some uncertainty still visible in her voice. Heather, satisfied with the answer, led her friend to the armoury placed on the right end of the training ground. The building was made out of stone and it resembled a house, the only difference being the bigger size. The armoury was full of different weapons and machines, some of which Astrid had never seen before. She wouldn't be surprised if the armoury alone had more weapons than Berk and Bjargey combined. It was no wonder when the island had so many residents. She picked a simple-looking, double-headed axe. Astrid, surprised at its unusual, light weight, almost dropped the weapon. Her face burned with embarrassment as she gripped it tighter, making sure that it would not slip this time. 

"You have a good eye. This axe is quite good." Heather nodded towards it with appreciation in her green eyes. She didn't seem to have noticed what happened a second ago and if she did, she decided to ignore it. Astrid balanced the axe in her hands and frowned. Stormfly squawked, curiously smelling it. 

"But it's too light. The metal must be really weak. I don't think it'd hold in the battle for long." Heather let out a small laugh which only made Astrid more confused. The black-haired girl took a sword from a pile in the corner of the room. 

"Try to swing it at the sword." Astrid glanced from the axe to the sword before doing as she was asked. To her surprise, the weapon in Heather's hands easily broke in half. And the girl didn't even use that much strength. Maybe this axe was better than she originally thought. "It's made out of Gronckle Iron. " At Astrid's confused face, Heather continued her explanation. "It's an extremely light and durable metal that we achieve from the Gronckles and some stones. Can't tell you which, though." Astrid glanced over the axe once again. She ran her hand over the edge and hissed slightly when she cut herself with it. It appeared that the blade was sharp enough. 

After Astrid agreed to give the new axe a chance, Heather went to show her around the training camp. The blonde felt relief when she could finally train with an axe; she hadn't had a normal training session for what felt like ages. She had no time, not with everything else going on. Astrid had to get used to the weapon's unusual weight, though she quickly adjusted and found the axe very comfortable in use, both in combat and in throwing. She trained with Heather a little bit, the other girl turned out to be a fair rival when it came to axes, but in the end Astrid trained mostly by herself. Stormfly stayed in the sidelines, sometimes wandering off for short periods of time. Astrid found herself a secluded place with some dummies and other targets. A perfect place to practice her axe-throwing, finally she would be able to ease her mind, even if a little bit. She needed to vent off, badly. Raising the axe, she aimed at one of the targets. 

**THUNK**

 _Hiccup._

 **THUNK**

 _Her father._

 **THUNK**

 _Liv._

 **THUNK**

 _Drago._

Astrid reaped out the axe from one of the targets, rolled on the ground and, with a battle cry that would have made the Gods proud, she swung at the dummy on the other side. She breathed heavily and reached to wipe off the beads of sweat that formed on her forehead, all the time glaring at the poorly-made human figure with the sharp weapon sticking out of it. Her anger subdued a little a little as she realized, with some pride, that even after a longer brake her aim stayed as good as it had been before. Even her stinging wrists didn't matter as she stared at the axe. Stuck right where the heart was. 

"Good shot." Astrid almost had a heart attack when she heard that. Turning around sharply, she saw her father. He was looking at her with what appeared to be pride. Was he proud of the throw, or was it something else? He seemed to be in an unusual good mood. What happened? Had he learned how to train a dragon? Had he talked with Hiccup? Astrid eyed him suspiciously. Stormfly came closer to her father, titling her spined head to the side. Egil, with some hesitation, reached for the dragon's head and patted the Nadder awkwardly. 

"It's getting pretty late, don't ye think?" the blonde turned her head upwards and saw that her father was right. Time flew by quickly, that was for sure. "We don't want to be late for today's final Dragon Race." Astrid raised an eyebrow. Who was that man and what had he done with her father? Her father, Egil Hofferson, the same man who would kill a dragon without hesitation, wanted to watch a Dragon Race. Something wasn't adding up. Upon seeing her expression, Egil chuckled and ruffled her blonde hair the way he did it when she was younger. 

"Don't ye look at me like that. I'm not crazy." 

"It's just that yesterday you seemed a bit… opposed to the whole idea. And now…" Astrid trailed off, not really knowing what to say. Her father was leading her somewhere and it didn't seem to be in the direction of the village. They passed the arena and the platforms. The training camp was empty, Astrid, too absorbed in her training, hadn't even noticed that others left. She furrowed her brow. "Where are we going?" 

"To the Dragon Racing arena. It's not that far. And as for the change of heart thing…" They stopped and Egil locked his blue eyes with Astrid's lighter ones. " I talked with Hiccup. In private. And before ye say anything - no, we didn't have an argument. He explained it all to me, patiently. It doesn't mean tha' I'm suddenly all for loving dragons but… tha' boy has a good head on his shoulders. Dragons are not _all_ that evil, I suppose." 

"He can be really persuasive." The words left her mouth unintentionally. She felt a blush creeping up on her cheeks and she quickly redirected her gaze to the ground. 

"Aye, tha' he can." Silence came over them. Astrid felt some weight being lifted from her shoulders. Her father was going to give the dragons a chance. That was great news and she couldn't have felt more relieved. It sparked some hope that perhaps it would all go well. In no time, a huge construction mostly made of wood appeared before them. Astrid wondered how in Odin's name she didn't see it before. Hundreds of villagers were on wooden stands placed high above the ground. They were cheering loudly at something she couldn't see. Stormfly chirped happily behind her. She saw the well-known black speck in the sky, making its way somewhere to the right. There were many, many dragons all around her. It appeared that the villagers left them here while they went up to see the Race. It looked like a huge custom stable with feeding stations in the middle. A lounge for the dragons. 

More and more people started gathering by the stairs leading to the stands and when a loud horn rung throughout the area, she decided to go there herself. Stormfly, already busy with playing with some other dragon, stayed down in the stables. Astrid went up the wooden stairs and found herself at the stands. It was even louder up there. The children were present as well, carried by their parents on their backs so that they could see better. A huge board with, she guessed, name of the winners of other races was placed on the other side of the arena. Astrid looked around and saw some free space by the edge of the stand. Her father followed after her, his eyes curiously running over the surroundings. The whole place was decorated with the banners as well. The wooden stands were formed in a circle, in the middle of which there was a platform with baskets hanging at the bottom. Different dragons were painted over the wooden boards above them. Red for a Night Fury, green for a Razorwhip, orange for a Monstrous Nightmare, blue for a Hobblegrunt and yellow for a Thornridge or at least it looked this way. A second horn could be heard and, if it was even possible, the crowd cheered louder, ready for the race to start. Cowering her ears, Astrid saw Hiccup some distance away. He and his dragon were waiting on one of smaller platforms. Toothless had red straps painted on his black, sleek body and his usually black prosthetic tail fin was now red as well. 

"Welcome to the final Dragon Race today!"Sergius' voice boomed from a stand placed higher than the others He let a wave of cheers pass before he continued. "We are honoured to host the race for the heirs of the Barbaric Archipelago!" A throne of some sort was placed in the middle and Conlectus stood by his Rider's side. Astrid thought that Sergius and his Shovelhelm would join the race but apparently she was wrong. A third, much longer, horn rung throughout the arena and five dragons shot up in the sky. 

The Night Fury took off with the trademark whistle and made his way to the right. He was soon followed by Heather's Razorwhip, Windsheer. Thuggory and his Monstrous Nightmare dived in sharply and caught the first white sheep. The joy on his face didn't last long as Camicazi and her yellow Hobblegrunt **[4]** flew into them, causing the sheep to fall off. That situation was used to Princess Tantrum's advantage as she grabbed the terrified ship mid-air. Astrid narrowed her eyes but Hiccup and Toothless were nowhere to be found. What she did found, were Big-Boobied Bertha, Mogadon and Ug the Uglithug standing on one of the stands as well. Surprisingly enough, they were cheering for their children just as everyone else was. Was it because they changed their mind, or just the competitiveness inside them stirred up, Astrid didn't know. She heard the people around her shout in excitement and turning around, she saw Hiccup throwing the first white sheep in his basket. Following him was Princess Tantrum and her red Thornridge throwing in their own sheep. 

The Dragon Race turned out to be a very dynamic sport where everything could change in a matter of seconds. Astrid never knew that Hiccup was competitive but she was proved wrong quickly enough. Even her father seemed to have been really enjoying the spectacle and Astrid found herself gripping the wooden rail every time Hiccup was doing something dangerous (which happened quite often, to be honest). All the Riders proved to be very skilful, though the auburn-haired teen was definitely the best in that department. The Night Fury and his companion worked as one, instinctively knowing where the other one wanted to go. They were in the lead with six sheep, Thuggory and Heather lagging with five, Camicazi with four and Princes Tantrum with three. 

The time for the Black Sheep came. The poor animal was launched from a complicated-looking catapult and all the dragons made their way to catch it. Hiccup used Toothless incredible speed and the Night Fury was just about to grab the sheep with his paws, when Heather and Razorwhip appeared out of nowhere and stole the animal right from the other duo's face. Hiccup's face was one of shock as he surely didn't expect such an outcome. A smirk appeared on his face and Astrid instantly knew he had a plan. 

"What are you up to?" she muttered under her breath. Hiccup was right, it was exciting for both the Racer and the viewer. The Night Fury turned sharply to the right, flying further away from the metallic dragon. He circled over a mountain's peek and started to fly back towards Heather. The oblivious girl had a smile on her face, sure of her upcoming victory. Toothless started to descend, flying underneath Windsheer. Turning sharply upwards, Hiccup and Toothless made a quick barrel roll, turned upside down and grabbed the sheep straight from Heather's hands. 

"Thank you kindly." Hiccup saluted the Raizorwhip's Rider, his other hand gripping the black sheep, and Astrid grinned wildly, proud of the smart move. 

"Yeah! Take'em down Babe!" As soon as she said it, she clamped a hand over her mouth. She didn't mean to say that, it just came out on its own. If that wasn't embarrassing enough, Hiccup seemed to have heard that as he whipped his head to where she was. By doing that, he almost lost the game and a few teeth. He turned back and in the last second bypassed a hammer in the face from Thuggory. He dived in sharply, quickly levelling out. He made a circle and neared the baskets. Camicazi and the Hobblegrunt would be by his side any minute and he had to act quick. The auburn-haired teen launched himself forward, jumping off Toothless in the process. He dunked the sheep in his basket and, luckily, landed on the Night Fury's back. The crowd roared in excitement as the winner was announced. Hiccup made another circle around the arena, standing up in his saddle and throwing his arms up in the air as a sign of victory. A broad smile made its way on Astrid's face despite herself. This was the real Hiccup, not the feared Dragon Master or the disappointing heir of Berk. He belonged in the air along with his dragon best friend. Hiccup's eyes met hers for a split second and Astrid saw pure happiness in them. Suddenly, her eyes caught something, or rather someone, else. 

Stoick the Vast was standing on one of the stands on the opposite side. Astrid hadn't seen him there before, so she assumed he wasn't present for the whole race. Hiccup seemed to have noticed his father as well because his smile faltered noticeably. The red-haired man had his lips pursed tightly and his green eyes were cold. He certainly didn't look happy. Stoick turned around and made his way out of the tribunes, disappearing in the crowd of people. Few seconds later Hiccup flew away from arena as well, ignoring all the cheering viewers. The smile from before was completely gone. 

Something wasn't right. 

**A/N:**

 **[1] Culcita in Latin means… mattress. Mattress was known in Ancient Rome since 200 B.C.**

 **[2] Danish translation that I have found on the Internet. If I'm wrong, please correct me, politely of course. :D**

 **[3] For the curious ones – it means 'life'. I just love the meanings behind the names. :D**

 **[4] I am aware that Camicazi had a Mood Dragon called Stormfly, but you noticed that I named Astrid's Deadly Nadder that. I just feel that that's the right name for the Astrid's dragon. I gave Camicazi a Hobblegrant, because it's the closest dragon species to a Mood Dragon that we can see in the HTTYD franchise (and I want to stick with it). I'm not sure about the name yet. You can send me your suggestions.**

 **I have a Tumblr account now** **. As I can't give you a direct link, just type in wegotthehiccups on Tumblr and I should be there under the name SlavicViking. There's not much there yet but I will be more involved in it during the summer. :)**

 **Well, that chapter got long, so much longer than I thought. I'm not exactly happy with it. It's more of a filler chapter, but I felt it was needed. From now on, things will get more serious, as the story is slowly coming to its end and the ineluctable comes. I also wanted to show more of the Dragon's Edge in my universe. Show how much its different from what we see in the TV series. The Dragon Race scene was obviously inspired by the original one in the movie, though I changed it a little bit.**

 **And now – Guest reviews:**

 **Guest 1** **:** _I am feeling much better, it was a good idea to take that break. I hoped that Astrid came out as a strong character while facing her parents, even though she was unsure of how they would react, she knew that it was necessary. And, yeah, Stoick might need some more time but don't give up on him just yet. ;)_

 **Domcik** **:** _You really think that? Thank you – that's a huge compliment, especially considering all the marvellous stories that are on this site. In comparison to those, mine doesn't even come close, I think. But I'm so, so glad you like it so much. :D_

 **Alicia** **:** _Agriculture is not an easy subject, at least that is what I can tell from personal experience – another reason to be proud of yourself. I'm really happy you liked the chapter, though I'm not sure if I am… consistent with my updates *cough three week-long break *cough. Perhaps we are twin souls, who knows, right? ;P Hiccup and Heather's brother-sister relationship is just too precious to not like it._

 **Aiacco** **:** _Who_ _ **doesn't**_ _love sleep? I'm a great fan, that's for sure. ;P I'm glad you caught on the splitting-the-romantic-flight-into-two-scenes thing. I love putting some quotes or scenes from the movie in completely different situations and I always enjoy seeing it in other stories. I find it really funny – sort of like an inside joke for the HTTYD fans. I think that this chapter clears some things about Stoick, though he will still be important in the next couple of chapters, his role being far from over. I hope you will enjoy it. :D_

 **Guest 2** **:** _Do not worry my friend! I shall not stop until it's completed. And it_ _ **is**_ _going to be completed – I have it all drafted up, all I need to do now is to add more, to make it actually readable, and edit. I'm thrilled you like the spin – I wanted to make something original and I never expected for it to took off like it did. :D_

 **Guest 3** **:** _Thank you! It wasn't much of a surprise for the readers but I thought it would be a good way to end the chapter. I think I finally grasped the concept of the cliffhangers – one would say I'm getting a_ _ **hang**_ _of it. (Excuse my terrible sense of humour, I just couldn't resist :P)._

 **Lakewin Plaza** **:** _Hi :) I apologise for that, it must have slipped my mind. I'm planning on rewriting some of the previous chapters and that is something I will include as I do it. I will also be more careful with it in the chapters I post. Thank you for noticing that. I want to grow as a writer and it's a good thing that someone tells what I can improve, in a polite way. :D_

 **R &R**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	23. The Leaders

**Hello there peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How To Train Your Dragon: books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Huuuge thanks to residentmotherhen for helping me out with this chapter.**

 **CHAPTER 23**

 **The one with the leaders**

Astrid was disoriented. 

After the dragon race ended, she had no choice but to follow the crowd down the stairs. She quickly lost her father among all the people, but if she were to be honest, she wasn't paying much attention anyway. Uneasiness had settled in her stomach at seeing Stoick the Vast in the arena, and now, after Hiccup's hasty departure, her stomach continued to twist in the most unpleasant way. She didn't have a good feeling about it, that much was obvious. Part of her wanted to find him, make sure he was okay, but she knew she had no right. Hiccup had to do this on his own; it was his father, his family. Astrid cringed at the numerous elbows, arms, and legs that pressed onto her body as she traveled with the crowd. With so many people around, she had long since lost any sense of direction whatsoever. Suddenly she felt someone tugging the back of her shirt. Irked, she turned around, ready to scold the person, only to be met face to face, or rather, face to snout, with her Nadder, Stormfly. The dragon released the material and moved to push Astrid with her snout. The girl almost tripped, surprised by the Nadder's behavior. Some people grunted, clearly not pleased with the two of them. The dragon continued bumping her big head into Astrid's back, instructing her where to go. Seeing no other option, Astrid let the stubborn reptile lead her through the mass of people. Muttering quick apologies and ignoring the irritated looks sent their way, they soon managed to escape the crowd. Astrid raised herself on her toes, trying to see if her father was anywhere nearby, but it was simply impossible to find anyone in the thick crowd. She cursed under her breath, irritated; there was no way she could find Egil now. Stormfly nudged Astrid's side to grab her attention. The blonde turned around to see the light-blue dragon lowering herself. 

"You want to fly? Now?" As surprising as it was, Stormfly bobbed her head in affirmation. Astrid glanced upwards. It was getting late and the clouds didn't seem so inviting either. Those weren't the best possible conditions for a flight, yet her dragon was persistent nonetheless Another thing that worried her was the fact that her father, new to the surroundings, was somewhere in the crowd, completely alone. Astrid sighed. She made her decision - one quick flight, then she would find her father- and mounted her waiting dragon. The crowd will have dispersed by that point, and it would, perhaps, be easier to find him. Stormfly didn't waste any time and quickly spread her wings, breaking Astrid from her thoughts. The Nadder seemed to know where exactly she wanted to go. What Astrid hadn't taken into the account was that the Dragon's Edge was an island inhabited by Dragon Riders, people who used their scaly companions as a form of transport more often than not. The sky was quickly filled with other Riders, the satisfied villagers going back home after the races. The blue dragon turned to the right - the direction which she vaguely remembered Hiccup flying away towards. Despite the previous eagerness, Stormfly ended the flight shortly by landing behind some houses on the outskirts of the village. Astrid slid of the dragon, feeling a sense of familiarity. Looking to the left , she recognized one of the houses as it was the one that stood opposite Hiccup's hut. Astrid froze as she heard some voices nearby. 

"…will have no business with it." Astrid felt her heart beat harder as she heard the deep, accented voice of her father-in-law. Hiccup must be there too, then. She shot the blue dragon an incredulous stare. It didn't really do much; the Nadder seemed to have been quite proud of herself, actually. Had the creature somehow felt that Astrid was concerned about Hiccup? It seemed… impossible. How could she? Astrid shook her head. It didn't matter. She shouldn't be here. It was a private conversation between Hiccup and his father - she had no right to pry into their business. 

"Come on, Stormfly." She tried to climb back on the dragon but the Nadder let out a growl as soon as Astrid got close to her. The reptile used her wings to hide away, stubbornly refusing to move. Astrid growled under her breath, clenching her fists. What was Stormfly _thinking_?! Bringing her here while Hiccup and his father had obviously some private things to discuss – she shook her head in disbelief and anger. She was at the back of someone's house, that much was clear from the surroundings. An old, broken chair was propped by the wall of the closest house, and a small, primitive-looking garden was placed on the right hand side. No chance of crossing it without ruining it completely. There were two ways to exit the place: the first one was blocked by the dogged Nadder, and the second would result in Hiccup and Stoick discovering she was there. Astrid leaned slightly to see what exactly was going on. Hiccup and his father were standing just a few feet away, practically in the middle of the road, and just as she predicted, there was no way she could escape unnoticed. It was a miracle no one else had walked in on them yet. Astrid pressed her side back against the house's wall. 

"Don't you understand?! We can't afford for him to get here!" Hiccup raised his voice slightly, running a shaking hand through his hair.. 

"I will not endanger my people for something like that," replied the calm, yet commanding voice of Stoick the Vast. "I will not risk the lives of my people to support an act of treason. A leader should protect his own." Stoick spat out the words as if they were venom. Astrid winced despite herself. Sneaking a glance towards Stormfly, she sighed. The dragon remained in her same position and gave no sign of moving anytime soon. 

"I'm trying to protect Berk too." Hiccup's hand shot upwards and rested on the place where the pendant was hanging under the armor. Then, as if realizing what he was doing, he dropped it by his side again. "I'm still trying to do what's best for those people." His voice started to rise again. "And maybe I wouldn't have to lie if you just-" 

"Enough!" the bigger Viking bellowed, and even Astrid felt a slight shiver at the man's words. "If _ye_ could just follow the simplest orders…" The red-haired man shook his head angrily. "I'm not going to tell the Berkians who ye are, on the condition that you won't come back to Berk. Leave us out of it. I have no business with traitors." 

"Then what if Drago attacks?" Hiccup focused his gaze on the man before him. Astrid's heart went out to him. She knew that all Hiccup did was to protect those close to him, and although his relationship with Stoick was a rocky one at best, he still wanted him safe. Not only his father but also Berk, the island that had not been exactly the friendliest to him. Astrid wanted to believe the two Haddocks would find a way to cooperate. She knew that Stoick loved his son, cared for him more than he let on – it was just the matter of pride, it seemed. Both of them were as stubborn as it could get and neither Stoick nor Hiccup would back down easily. 

"We will defend our home. As Vikings would." Stoick shot back, gesturing with his hands. His helmet started to slip and he reached up to put it back in place. Hiccup puffed his cheeks, letting out a long sigh 

"Fine. Have it your way," Hiccup responded bitterly. He reached under his shirt and yanked the pendant off of his neck. Astrid gasped. What was he _doing_? Stoick's eyes twitched barely noticeably as he focused on his son's clenched fist with the pendant in it. "Take it." Hiccup spoke through clenched teeth, shoving the object into his father's chest. "Someone will come and take you back to Berk." He turned on his heel, pretending to not have been affected by the conversation. As soon as he had his back to his father, the young man shut his eyes tightly. Astrid wanted nothing more than to embrace him in that moment, and unconsciously stepped forward as she considered it. But she didn't. She stayed by the house, following Hiccup with her worried gaze. Stoick wore an unreadable expression as he clutched the pendant in his meaty hands. The squeak of Hiccup's metal leg as he walked away made Stoick glance at his son once again. 

Astrid backed further into the shadows as Hiccup started going her way. If found her there, it could have a disastrous result. She wanted them to trust each other and her being there didn't look good. At all. Even if she told him it was her dragon that brought her there and then refused to leave. Fortunately for her Hiccup seemed to have been having other plans, because after walking a few feet away, he mounted Toothless. The dragon was clearly concerned for his rider's well-being, crooning to comfort him before swiftly taking off. In mere seconds the Night Fury had disappeared completely in the, by that time, dark, evening sky. Astrid hoped that a long flight would help him clear his mind, even if only a little bit; it always seemed to help him at least some. The Chief of Berk was left alone with his thoughts. He ran his thumb over the pendant and then tucked it into one of the pockets, letting out a somewhat sad sigh. Seeing nothing else to do, he walked away, making his way back towards the center. 

Astrid decided now was a good time to leave. Her heart felt heavy knowing she had heard a conversation not meant for her. A SWOOSH indicated Stormfly had finally gotten up from the grass. The dragon was looking at her rider with a cocked head, clearly not understanding why Astrid hadn't gone to her 'mate'. The blonde was still furious at the Nadder, promising herself to have a talk with the stubborn reptile. Seeing the sky to be less crowded than before, Astrid decided to look for her father. Hopefully nothing had happened to him and he found someone to help him get out of there. Once in the air, it didn't take her long to spot him. Egil Hofferson had apparently decided to stay by the Dragon Racing arena and was currently busy talking to Big-Boobied Bertha and Mogadon. That was a good thing, she supposed. Maybe the conflict with Drago would bring the tribes together as one? She had heard stories of there once being an agreement between most of the islands - that the Chieftains worked as one for the greater good. But nothing lasts forever, and some kind of a disagreement had been bound to break out sooner or later. There was even once a time when the Outcasts and the Isle of Berk were close allies, although she couldn't imagine it ever happening nowadays. A small smile graced her lips seeing her father laugh with the two other tribe leaders. 

"Stoick," Mogadon's surprised voice broke her from her reverie. The huge figure of Berk's Chief passed them without a word, a familiar, overused cord sticking out of one of his pockets. A sudden thought came to Astrid - perhaps she could help. After a brief moment of hesitation, she straightened her back and started moving towards her father-in-law. She could talk to him, she could fix- 

"Astrid." Her father's stern voice stopped her mid-step. She noticed Stoick's back tensing. 

"Dad," Astrid didn't turn to him, focusing her gaze on the redhead in front of her instead. "just a moment. I need-" 

"It's urgent." She sighed. Couldn't he have said something before? Turning her gaze away, she followed after her father further away from the arena. 

"I wanted to-" She was once again cut off by Egil who placed a hand on her shoulder-guard. 

"I know what ye were going to do. That's why I called ye over." Astrid's brow furrowed in confusion. 

"I don't think I understand." 

"Ye wanted to go and convince him that Hiccup is right." Was she that obvious? Or perhaps it was simply the fact that her father knew her all too well; she didn't know. 

"Because he is," she answered back heatedly. "Stoick is behaving irrationally." 

"Is he?" Egil turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Try to put yerself in his place. He just found out that his own son had been lying to him for the past _four_ years. And, might I add, _Hiccup_ is the leader of the group that has been 'attacking' the villages. It's a lot to take in, Astrid." She just couldn't stand the fact that Hiccup was hurting. If she could help somehow, anyhow, she would do it. Her gaze dropped to the ground. Egil, seeing his daughter like that, gripped her arms, forcing her to look up. 

"I get that ye want to help; that's admirable, and I believe that, deep down, Stoick knows Hiccup is right But they need time." He let go of his daughter. "They need to sort this out on their own, think it all through." Her lips pressed together in frustration. As much as she didn't want to admit it, her father was right. 

"Sir Hofferson!" A female voice called from some distance away. Heather and Windsheer landed close to the two Hoffersons. Remaining on the back of the metallic dragon, the female Rider glanced at Astrid's father. "I was asked to take you home." 

"I can do it." Astrid piped in quickly but Heather shook her head. 

"You need to go with Hiccup." _Whatever_ that meant. Egil patted Astrid's back affectionately. 

"Don't ye worry. Yer old man will be fine." He mounted the dragon awkwardly, shoulders tense and a forced smile on his face. "We'll see each other soon, I'm sure of that." 

"If Hiccup asks, tell him I should be back in two moons." Astrid only nodded. She waved her father a goodbye, a forced smile of her own plastered onto her face, and they were off. Other Chiefs had also been taken back to their islands, though in their cases it were their children that took them. Left alone, she decided to take a walk back to the house in which she and Hiccup had been staying. The teen refused to fly there, not after the stunt that the Nadder pulled off earlier. Besides, she liked Dragon's Edge. It was a truly beautiful island and a walk through it was something very enjoyable, peaceful. Stormfly followed after her, titling her head curiously, quite confused that 'her human' preferred to walk rather than fly to her destination. Reaching their hut, Astrid was surprised to see a familiar black dragon resting outside. She had expected Hiccup to have a longer flight than that. The dragon's earflaps raised upon seeing her and Toothless gave her a gummy, dragon-like smile in greeting. She scratched him briefly on the chin before entering the hut. 

The first thing she noticed was the fire, alive and burning, in the middle of the room. A tankard was placed on a nearby table, a plate with something she couldn't identify on the side. She saw Hiccup sitting by the fire, his face almost invisible in the poor lightning. 

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked uncertainly, closing the door behind her. She didn't know what to expect from him. He definitely heard her, his jaw clenching was an enough evidence, but chose to ignore it, staring blankly at the fire. She came closer to her husband and noticed that his hands, clasped tightly together, were shaking. Normally they would have been around the pendant but now it was gone and so Hiccup got nothing to hang onto anymore. Even when she seated herself beside him, Hiccup didn't spare her a glance. A spark of anger settled in her stomach, seeing as he decided to ignore her. She quickly scolded herself - Hiccup was _hurt_ and as stubborn as he may be, he needed comfort. His face looked so much older in the dim light, a firm scowl present on his face. She studied him for a moment, taking in the details of his exhausted visage. Astrid wet her lips. 

"It's going to be alright." As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized how utterly out of place they were. The instant regret was compounded when Hiccup let out a humourless laugh, flames dancing dangerously in his green orbs. 

"Of course it will be _alright_." He snorted, sarcasm dripping heavily from his tone. Astrid felt something stir inside her, her body unconsciously taking a defensive stance. "Easy for you to say that." Hiccup's words caused her to narrow her blue eyes dangerously. 

"Excuse me?" Astrid asked in a low voice, one that, under normal circumstances, put everyone on high alert. Hiccup, though, seemed unfazed, unaware of the girl's rising anger. 

"It must be nice to be daddy's pride, his little warrior. Too bad he went and married you off to a runt. " Astrid felt hot, _boiling_ inside. How dare he?! Hurt or not, he had _no_ right to insult her or her family. 

"At least _I'm_ not trying to be something I'm clearly _not_." She breathed out. How was it possible for things to escalate so quickly? She didn't even know where it all came from. All she was aware of, was the prickling need to defend herself, to bite back. She was not proud of that, of acting on impulse, but it seemed stronger than her. Astrid could not allow for her _honour_ to be trampled down like that. Not again. Not by him. As much as she didn't want to admit, his words hurt her. Hiccup stood up abruptly, his back facing the fire. His fists were clenched by his sides, similar to Astrid's own. She raised herself as well, feeling more powerful and confident that way. 

"You don't know me, Astrid. You don't know _who_ I am. You can't _understand_ …" Turning to her, he looked more broken than angry, the previously aggressive stance becoming less angry and more like _him_. Astrid, still far from calm, strode his way, closing the distance between them. She jutted a single finger his way, feeling satisfaction upon seeing his wary expression. 

"I may not have known you for a long time, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," She pressed the finger hard into his chest, just where his heart was. Hiccup winced and Astrid felt some of her anger wear off. Nonetheless, she continued. "but the Hiccup _I_ know would do something rather than sit here and feel sorry for himself." 

They stayed silent for a moment, both going over the things that had been said. Astrid lowered her finger, fully aware of Hiccup staring at her. She looked back at him, head high, back straight. She couldn't help but be relieved seeing the emerald green in front of her softening, calming down the storm that had been visible there just seconds before. Her husband was the one to break the eye contact, screwing his eyes shut and breathing out heavily. 

"I'm sorry." Whatever was left from Astrid's anger disappeared in that moment. Before she registered what was happening, a pair of lithe yet strong arms closed around her, embracing her. All the exasperation melted away as he clutched onto her. "I'm _so_ sorry." 

"Hiccup…" Astrid breathed out softly, closing her eyes to gather her thoughts. Slowly, she brought her arms around him, hugging him back. She felt Hiccup gripping her shirt tightly, as if to steady himself. If the pendant was gone, she would be the thing he would be able to lean on, to hang onto. Astrid tried to think of some words of comfort but as she couldn't find any, she just hugged him tighter. 

"I screwed up, Astrid." His quiet, defeated voice reached her. "I messed up again." Upon this words, Astrid pulled away. Placing her hands firmly on his shoulders, she forced him to look at her. 

"You have to stop thinking so low of yourself." He had his eyebrows drawn together in concentration, thinking over what she just said. 

"But-" She didn't let him continue. 

"You befriended a _Night Fury_ , a dragon that was a faceless, shapeless creature for a long time. You were _brave_ enough to see past the hate, past the resentment. You showed people what it's like to live in harmony with the dragons." Taking a step forward, Astrid took his face into her hands. "You're not a screw up, you're not _useless_." 

"I-I…I'm not…strong enough." Astrid shook her head violently. 

"Bullshit." Seeing Hiccup's confused face, she softened. "You know what you taught me, Hiccup? That physical strength doesn't always matter. You _are_ strong enough," she placed a gentle hand on his heart "here." His face dropped as he took her hand in his. 

"I'm sorry for lashing out. I-I.. just… I was angry. And I took it out on you. I didn't-" 

"Hiccup. _Stop_." He shut his mouth, a look of a child adoring his face. Awkward silence came over them again. Glancing sideways, Hiccup brought his free hand to the back of his neck. 

"Has… has your father left already?" he asked meekly. 

"All Chiefs have." Astrid answered, feeling that it was not Egil Hofferson that Hiccup was concerned about. He nodded to himself quickly. 

"We'll stay here for a few days more if... if that's alright with you. There are some things that have yet to be done. After that we can go to Bjargey and Berk." Astrid's blue eyes widened momentarily, wishing she had heard wrong. 

"Berk?" she repeated warily. But what about the deal? Wasn't Hiccup banned from entering the island ever again? He looked at her from the corner of his eye. 

"Yes… uhm." His hand went to his neck, and a blush spread over his cheeks as his gaze turned to the floor. "Technically, well, I'm not allowed there anymore, but… it-it never really stopped me before." He affected a casual shrug, but Astrid, knowing the content of Hiccup and Stoick's conversation, knew it was only another cover-up. She couldn't comment on it, though. He believed that no one heard their conversation and Astrid wasn't going to be the one that would prove him wrong. Hiccup had a point, though. As the "Dragon Master," he was wanted dead on almost every island in the Archipelago. One or two trips to Berk wouldn't make a difference, right? Especially since there already were other Riders there. Astrid guessed that would be the only information about Hiccup's argument with Stoick that she would receive. She was fine with that; pushing him into anything wasn't something she wanted to do. A yawn escaped her mouth, the feeling of exhaustion hitting her with full force. 

"I think I'll go and sleep some." Her words made Hiccup look up at her in surprise. She titled her head a little." Are you coming?" 

"I, uh… no. Not right now." Astrid frowned. He needed it, the dark bags under his eyes were a proof. Perhaps he needed some more time to himself, to think it all through. She moved towards the bedroom door, half-wishing he would go with her. 

"Astrid?" Hiccup sprung towards her in a record time. She gave him a questioning look, not sure what he wanted to do. "I… Thank you. For… for everything." A small, tired smile grazed her lips. 

"Goodnight Hiccup." 

* * *

They spent the next five days at the Edge. Hiccup tried to busy himself with anything he could, turning his focus away from what happened after the race. Heather came back after two moons, just like she said. The following days were filled with training and getting to know the island better. Astrid even got the chance to talk with Liv a few more times. To see the girl smiling the way she was, was something amazing. Heather was more than happy to show Astrid around and introduce her to some of the other Riders. They all seemed so nice and the way they talked about their dragon companions warmed her heart. The image of peace, looking like that, was something that motivated her greatly. Hiccup found the time to spend time with her as well. Sometimes they trained together, sometimes they just sat and talked. He hadn't had any kind of flashback recently but the nightmares, that hadn't really been coming that often for a while, were now worse than she ever remembered. He refused to speak about them of course, sometimes even leaving the bed in the middle of the night. In the midst of a few of them she would even hear her name being called, a desperate plea for help. The only thing she could do then was to gently wake him up. 

Her wrists had healed completely, as well as Hiccup's leg. She was relieved that she could finally train normally again. Astrid grew fond of the axe she had borrowed from the armory. Heather told her she could keep it but the blonde wasn't sure if that was alright. She still missed her old weapon, but was also aware that she should move on. Astrid had to admit - the axe wasn't half bad. Hiccup insisted on training with dragons and Astrid was proud to say that she was getting a hang of it. It wasn't as hard as it seemed at first, and she even managed to do a barrel roll. Unfortunately, it had gotten colder in the last few days. 

Drago didn't do much in the last week and that was something that visibly concerned Hiccup and other Riders. No signs of Dragon Trappers or patrol ships. Nothing. Eret, son of Eret, one of Drago's trappers, had been released from his cage on the island. Astrid was shocked at first – he was a prisoner, why would they do that? Hiccup explained that they had been working on him and it appeared as if the man was starting to lean towards their side. Of course, one can never be too careful, but if there was even a bit of hope, they were going to take it. Besides, sinking to Drago's level by keeping the prisoners in horrific conditions was something that the Riders wanted to avoid at all costs, seeing as a lot of people from the Edge were his former slaves. Astrid saw Eret a few times and he seemed a bit lost on the island full of, what appeared to be, friendly dragons. They gave him freedom on the Edge, something, Astrid guessed, he wasn't accustomed to. 

Hiccup scheduled a flight to Bjargey to see how well the new Riders had been bonding with their dragons and, once and for all, resolve the islanders' doubts as to who the mysterious Dragon Riders were. The Chieftains weren't supposed to reveal the truth until they arrived. In the last few days Hiccup managed to make himself a new mask seeing as his last one laid on the bottom of the sea, right next to her mother's axe. Like the first mask, the new one also covered Hiccup's whole face, though this time his eyes were visible. It was made of a combination of metal on the upper part, and brown leather. Three rows of metal spines were running over the apex and back of the helmet, and a metal strap connecting the upper and lower section brought the whole thing together, the mask more frightening-looking than the last one. 

Hiccup sent Sharpshot a day before their departure to make sure someone was waiting for them at the Bjargey's cove. Nearing the end of their journey, Astrid felt herself smile at the sight of her home island in the distance. It seemed like another age that she had last been there. The prospect of seeing her family and friends made her feel lighter, especially knowing that they were on their side. She didn't have to lie to them anymore, and for that she was extremely glad. Stormfly and Toothless neared the familiar cove, to find Oili, Gunnar and the twins waiting eagerly for them. The blue Nadder landed in the clearing and Astrid jumped out of the saddle. 

"Good to see you." Astrid never thought she would be so glad to hear Ruffnut's raspy voice again. Sure, Heather was a great person, but the blonde missed her childhood friend. They shared a quick hug. 

"Is it true?" The question had her confused. 

"Is what true?" 

"That you're making the announcement tonight." Ruffnut crossed her thin arms over her chest. Astrid cast a look towards her husband as she wasn't sure herself. 

"The sooner, the better." Hiccup answered as he removed his new mask. Tying it to the Night Fury's saddle, he turned to Gunnar. "Is your father expecting us at his home?" 

"Yes." Astrid's younger brother nodded, glancing at Hiccup from the corner of his eye. "He wanted to discuss some things before the announcement" Hiccup nodded to himself. 

"Are you going to do it all 'Night Fury 'style?" Tuffnut asked excitedly. At the auburn-haired teen's confused expression, he rolled his blue eyes. "You know, awesome explosions and all that." The male twin gestured wildly with his hands for dramatic effect. "Boom!" 

"I'm pretty sure we want to convince them," Hiccup answered dryly, rolling his eyes half-heartedly, "not scare them away." 

"Man… I really hoped for some cool explosions. Nothing blows up anymore." Tuffnut sighed and dropped his arms by his sides. Astrid raised an eyebrow in amusement, biting her lip to keep herself from laughing. 

"I feel you, bro." Ruffnut groaned, shaking her head in disappointment. She put a hand on her twin's shoulder in a comforting manner. Hiccup furrowed his brow in concentration and Astrid wondered what he was thinking about. 

"You two bonded with a Zippleback, didn't you?" The twins' eyes lit up quickly at the mention of the dragon. 

"Yeah. Belch and Barf. They're awesome." Tuffnut stated proudly, patting his chest. 

"Uhm… I think you meant _Barf_ and Belch. Since, you know, _my_ dragon is more important." The female twin puffed out her chest which caused her brother to cross his arms. They looked ready to start yet another argument. 

"You do realize it's one dragon, right?" Oili butted in, holding up one finger to make her point. The twins were too busy sizing up each other to notice. 

"The point is," Hiccup started, catching the siblings' attention, "I can teach you some stuff on a Zippleback." Gunnar, Astrid and Oili's eyes widened in alarm. The blonde teen grabbed Hiccup's sleeve urgently. 

"Hiccup, no offense, but I don't really think that teaching the twins how to _destroy_ stuff is a good thing." Ruff and Tuff looked pretty excited about the whole idea- it wasn't everyday someone offered to teach them things that were actually fun. Hiccup raised an eyebrows towards Astrid. 

"Why?" he asked, confused. "It would come in handy. And, besides, it's not like they would go and destroy their own village." Astrid placed her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow and looking at him pointedly. Hiccup visibly deflated. "T-they would?" 

"I've known them my whole life." She cast a wary look towards the twins. "They decided to dedicate their lives to Loki, so…" A look of realization hit him. 

"Oh." Hiccup's shoulders slumped slightly. "Well, I'll need to teach them anyway. With Drago, and all... We need everyone." Astrid nodded uneasily. Hiccup was right, even though the idea of the twins having a control over a fire-breathing dragon was still a bit unsettling to her. 

The teens left their dragons in the cove and entered the tunnels that ran under the whole island. On the way back to the village, they stopped by a chamber in which, firstly, Astrid and then Hiccup changed into usual clothes instead of armor. They wore cloaks so that their faces wouldn't be visible. Any unwanted attention wouldn't be helpful right now. The twins and Oili left them at the entrance of the forest, and Astrid, Gunnar, and Hiccup quickly reached the Chief's house from the woods' side. Egil's face relaxed when he saw them. 

"Good. Ye're here. I was starting to get worried." He quickly ushered them inside the house. The Chief of Bjargey looked nervous. Astrid wasn't used to that; her dad was always so confident. She noticed her mother doing some knitting. The girl knew it was her way of calming herself down. Hiccup pulled down the hood from his head and Astrid followed. 

"So," Egil clapped his hands together. "What are ye going to tell them?" he asked, looking at his son-in-law expectantly. 

"I'm not going to tell them about the dragons." Hiccup shrugged at his confused look. "You, sir, are going to _show_ them." Her father clearly didn't expect that, his mouth shaping in an 'o' and his eyes growing wide. 

"Me? Show them?" Hiccup, calm as ever, nodded his head. 

"They need their Chief to show them that it's fine. Sir, they trust you the most. If anyone is going to convince them, it's the person they highly respect, one that they trust with their lives." Astrid had once again found herself listening to Hiccup with rapt attention. The way he spoke, it was hard not to listen. Persuasive indeed. "I'll go with you to the ring, sir. If anything goes wrong, I'll intervene. But it has to come from you, for them to _see_." The teen furrowed his brow slightly. "Do you have any dragons in the arena?" 

"Yes. A Raincutter has been captured recently." 

"Good. Very good." Hiccup nodded. "Sir, you remember what to do, right?" Honestly, Egil looked a bit lost but Astrid couldn't really blame him. 

"Most of things." Her husband seemed satisfied enough with the answer. 

"Then let's go change some minds." 

* * *

A huge crowd of people was gathered by the old training arena. Confused murmurs filled the area around. Nobody really knew what was all this about. Astrid, still in her cloak, Gunnar, and their mother stayed by the rails on top of the arena, while Hiccup and Oili, hooded, went to stand by the entrance to the ring. Her father seemed to have regained his confidence because as he spoke to his people, his voice was steady. He started with a short explanation to ease the situation. The villagers were shocked, some even furious, but as the cage was opened, everything went quiet. The Raincutter turned out to be easy to calm down and Hiccup didn't have to interfere at all. The villagers were left speechless when their Chief touched a dragon with his bare hand. After that, Hiccup took over. He and Oili took off their hoods. While the girl had been recognized immediately, it took a few minutes to realize who Hiccup was. 

The teen's speech about the current situation seemed to have made an even bigger impact on the people than the Raincutter did. As Astrid ran her eyes over the people around her, she saw a mix of emotions. Some people were confused, some scared, some angry. Astrid wasn't sure what was going to happen now. She and Gunnar locked eyes for a split second. 

"We can't ignore the problem!" Hiccup's voice rung throughout the area with a surprising power. "We must fight for what is ours! Are you willing to?!" A moment of silence passed, before her mother, Solveig Hofferson, did something quite unexpected. 

"I am!" she stated confidentially, standing up. 

"I am!" the twins' voices could be heard a second later. Astrid looked at her brother and saw him nodding. She pulled down her hood in one swift move. 

"I am!" she and her younger brother shouted in unison. Soon, the area was filled with similar exclamations. At first, it was only the people that were already on their side that voiced their will to protect the Archipelago from the monster that was Drago Bludvist, but soon enough, new voices could be heard. The spark led to a fire, one that could not be put down easily. Astrid felt herself smile as villager after villager joined in. If they were going to fight, they would do it together, as one. No Drago Bludvist was going to take away their will to fight and to protect. Astrid redirected her gaze to Hiccup who was still standing in the arena. He wore a proud smile on his face, and the familiar spark in his eyes, which had burned out slightly after his fallout with Stoick, had stirred again. 

"We will show him what we can do!" A round of applause could be heard. " If we burn, they burn with us!" **[1]** His confident voice resounded around the arena, and the purple Raincutter caught onto all the excitement, letting out a fireball. It traveled high above the ring and blew up, creating a beautiful image on the sky. Egil looked at the younger man, in what appeared to be admiration. For before him stood someone who was willing to sacrifice everything to fight and to protect what he cared about. 

A true leader. 

**A/N:**

 **[1] I don't own Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I just love this quote - it just fits there and it's so inspiring. I couldn't help myself.**

 **There has been an unusually high growth of favorites since the last chapter. I don't know what caused it but THANK YOU! I really appreciate every reader, anonymous or not, every favorite, follow, review. They are what encourages me a great deal. If you're reading this, know that I am so grateful for that! :D**

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 **Alicia** **:** _My twin soul, one of my majors is actually geography, agriculture included. Coincidence? I don't think so. :D The difference is, I prefer to focus more on the social aspects of geography – culture regions and so on. I think it's an amazing thought. Sustainable development of not only agriculture but also industry and service sectors is essential! The best thing to do is share our knowledge with those who need it. :) I was extremely happy when you said your heart was beating hard during the race scene – that's what I wanted to achieve!_

 **Guest 1** **:** _Well, I guess this chapter cleared up some things. :) I hope you liked the way I did it._

 **Guest 2** : _Thanks! I'm glad you think so. :)_

 **DayFury** : _But…but I need my thumb to write. :P But in all seriousness – I'm new to writing and I still have so much to learn, I've been doing this for less than a year after all. I'm learning by my mistakes, this is all a process and I can't express how touched I am by all the positive feedback I received. To hear your English improved because of my and other stories – that feels so satisfying, especially since I was in that position, well,_ _ **still**_ _am. Reading other stories improved my English in the way a boring course book never would have. Because the language used here is_ _ **alive**_ _, those are not just some dry and meaningless words/sentences in an exercise. Thank you for your kind words – they mean so much to me. :D_

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	24. The Preparations

**Hello peoples.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How To Train Your Dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Huuuge thanks to residentmotherhen for helping me with this chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 24**

 **The one with the (last) preparations**

Astrid was deeply amused. 

It was her father's first actual flying lesson. Egil was visibly nervous as his eyes kept flickering to the purple Raincutter beside him. He wasn't going alone, of course. Astrid, Hiccup, the twins, and a few others were joining the Chief of Bjargey in the skies. Hiccup had taken some time earlier to make his father-in-law a prototype of a saddle. It wasn't anything like what Stormfly or Toothless wore, but it would have to do for the time being. There was no time for proper saddle-making, not right now. As the riders of various age groups prepared for the take-off, a not-so-small group of people gathered around them. Hiccup's secret identity had been revealed roughly a day ago, and the news, which had spread faster than a wild fire, had the villagers ganging together in the plaza. People wanted to see the offspring of lightning and death itself with their own eyes; some even felt the need to touch the legendary dragon. Toothless didn't seem appalled by all the attention he was receiving, instead proudly puffing out his scaled chest and smiling goofily at the laughing and unaware children. However, not all Bjargey villagers were happy with the unexpected change of minds- and lifestyle. It was the younger ones that adapted to the new situation easier, though that didn't come as a big surprise – they were the ones that wanted to see how it was to fly; and, almost three years free from major dragon aggression had surely helped. As Bjargey had close to no dragons, Hiccup had been forced to send out a message for the Edge and the Sanctuary to bring some of theirs. That, unfortunately, would slow down the process of Dragon Training. 

It certainly didn't discourage Hiccup. Astrid had seen him come back to life in the last two days. He was overjoyed with the numerous requests to teach people what he knew. During the day, Astrid and her husband would help the villagers accept the new way of living, in harmony with the dragons. In the evenings, Hiccup would blabber to her about everything that happened during the day, and even though she knew all this, (she was with him there most of the time, after all) she never interrupted him. She enjoyed watching him so enthusiastic and gesturing wildly with his hands while wearing a stupid smile on his childish, adorable face. He kept looking at her while he talked, focusing only on her, and it made Astrid feel so important. She loved listening to him and she wanted Hiccup to know that. A dragon warbling to her right broke her out of her reverie. Grinning, Astrid mounted Stormfly. She quickly shot into the sky, feeling satisfaction upon seeing the look of bewilderment on the faces of her former tribesmen. 

As the dragons in the sky leveled out, Hiccup got to work. He observed the new Riders intently and tried to help them any way that he could, sharing tips and tricks and pointing out their form. The problem was, people had trouble hearing him, the wind becoming an obstacle. Realizing this, Hiccup turned something in his left pedal, turned a pulley on his much more advanced saddle, and stood up. He started walking up to the inexperienced riders while mid-air, and even though Astrid had seen him doing that more than once, it still made her a little nervous. They were flying over the sea and it was _high_. Toothless didn't mind the teen walking on his back; he was probably used to it by now. The peoples' shocked faces were priceless, though. Astrid bit her lip, stopping the smile that threatened to escape. 

"Straighten your back. Otherwise it'll hurt later," Hiccup advised as he crouched down on Toothless' wing beside Gunnar. Astrid's younger brother glanced at him apprehensively, still not sure what to think of the young man. Astrid had talked with Gunnar about this, and Hiccup had as well, and the younger Hofferson now seemed slightly less distrustful towards Hiccup. That was a start, Astrid supposed. Gunnar was no master on the back of a dragon, that much became clear as they reached the sky, and her father was not much better. He tried to act confident, like a Viking would, but it was obvious he wasn't feeling comfortable atop the Raincutter. Sure, he had flown before, but never on his own. He didn't seem to be a natural, unlike his daughter. 

"Sir, you have to breath normally," Hiccup instructed as he came closer Egil Hofferson. "If you hyperventilate, you'll pass out. And that's _extremely_ dangerous on a dragon." Egil nodded vigorously and Astrid wasn't sure whether he did it to reassure Hiccup, or himself. 

"Yes, yes. I know, but the air up here is so much thinner..." He responded quickly in a jumble of words that Astrid had trouble understanding. 

"Just try not to think about it." Hiccup answered in a confident voice. "You'll get used to it after some time." 

"This is so COOL!" Tuffnut exclaimed from the left head of their green Zippleback. His arms shot in the air as he shouted out in joy. Hiccup laughed at that, a sound that always brought a smile to Astrid's face. It was so good to see him that way, so happy, so… carefree. 

"The most important thing about dragons, is trust." Hiccup moved gracefully onto one of Toothless' wings. "You have to trust them with your life." He casually crossed his arms over and placed his hands on his chest. Suddenly, closing his eyes, he fell backwards with a content smile on his face. Astrid's eyes widened, her heart feeling as if it had been yanked out of her chest. She lost her ability to speak as she watched the young man fall towards his death. Leaning from the saddle, she scanned the waters under them in a panic, until she caught a movement in the corner of her eye and quickly turned. The Night Fury turned himself upwards before diving in sharply after his rider. Letting out his characteristic whistle, in a matter of seconds he was miles away, creating a wave over the place where he had just flown. Astrid's heart kept hammering in her chest and she had some trouble with calming down her rigid breathing. 

"Hiccup, you idiot." She breathed out angrily under her breath. How could he scare her that way? Oh, she was going to have a talk with him when they landed, that was for sure. He could have at least given her a warning of some kind. The black dragon and his Rider, now reunited, were busy doing barrel rolls, twists, and other dangerous-looking stunts. Of course, everyone else was impressed by the almost death-fall. Even her father looked in awe. Well, she was _not_ impressed. In the slightest. 

As soon as they all landed back on Bjargey, Astrid strode to Hiccup and slugged him hard in the arm. Her husband, clearly not expecting it, did a double take before reaching out to caress the injured limb. 

"Astrid, what the-" 

"That's for doing that stupid fall," she snapped. The blonde nailed him in the stomach next. "And that's for not telling me beforehand. Do you have a death wish?!" she called out in exasperation. Groaning, Hiccup held his stomach. Astrid crossed her arms over her chest, still furious for what he had done. 

"I do those kind of things all the time, Astrid." That didn't really make the situation any better. "I knew what I was doing." 

"But you could've died, Hiccup," she answered back heatedly. Did he not see what she was talking about? Did he not know what she felt when he did that stupid stunt? "If Toothless was even a second late…" 

"He wasn't. That was what I was trying to show you. You have to trust the dragons with your life. And I trust that Toothless will catch me." Hiccup cupped Astrid's cheeks and looked her in the eyes. Her anger had lessened slightly, although she still wasn't happy about the whole thing. The thought of losing him pained her. And to think he was the same boy that three months ago she couldn't care less about. 

"Just… warn me next time," she muttered barely audibly, uncrossing her arms. Hiccup nodded wordlessly, even though they both were aware that it was a promise that would most probably be broken anyway. In a flush of all the things that happened, Astrid grabbed her husband's collar and planted a solid kiss on his lips. Hiccup certainly didn't have anything against that turn of events as he wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. They broke apart quickly as they heard someone making disgusted vomiting sounds. 

"Ewww… keep it to yourself, would you?" Tuffnut complained loudly, jumping off his Zippleback's head with a grossed-out look. Astrid didn't dare to look at Hiccup, feeling her face heat up embarrassingly. She forgot there were others there – it seemed like only her and Hiccup existed in that moment. "You're like an old married couple already." 

"You're just jealous because no one is going to kiss _you,_ " Ruffnut sniggered. Tuff crossed his arms in response. 

"Like anyone would like to kiss you, either." A THUNK signaled that Ruff decided to jump off of her side of their dragon and hurl her brother onto his face in response. Another fight broke out between the siblings but no one really payed attention to them. It had become such a normal behavior for the Thorston twins that everyone just went with it. The Night Fury, relieved that the argument was over, ran up and gave the Hofferson girl a big, sloppy kiss. Astrid felt her dagmál coming back up as the Night Fury's saliva covered the left side of her face, her hair sticking out in a weird position. She took her hand to wipe it off- but it turned out to be a more difficult task than she had expected. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh. 

"Oh, so you find it funny, huh?" She took some of the spit and splashed it on his face. His face converted into a grimace immediately. Toothless chortled with his own dragon laugh. As Astrid looked around, she saw her father smiling softly at her. It seemed that he wasn't smiling only because of the funny situation. Perhaps a weight had been finally lifted from his shoulders when he saw her interact with Hiccup. The girl smiled back, even though the current smell she was experiencing was far from pleasant. Hiccup was trying to take the spit out of his hair and Astrid snorted with laughter. The two of them must have looked pretty comical. In moments like those, it was easy to forget about any problems in life. 

If only it could stay that way. 

* * *

Hiccup had to leave the next day. As much as Astrid wanted him to stay, Bjargey was not the only island that her husband had to scout out. He was making a trip from the Bog-Burglars, through the Uglithug Islands, to the Meathead Tribe, past some other minor islands, and all the way to Berk. She was supposed to meet him there in a week's time. In the meantime, Astrid was to help the other villagers train their dragons. A few dozen of the winged creature had finally arrived from the Dragon Sanctuary and were waiting for their new Riders. With the help from Oili and other, more experienced Riders, they slowly but surely managed to get more and more people on the back of the dragons. 

They were doing pretty well, if she said so herself. 

Sure, not all villagers agreed with the tribe's new policy. Some, especially the older ones, were completely opposed to it, refusing to even try. Astrid somewhat understood. Maybe with time they would change their minds, but there was no use in throwing it all on them against their will. Two days before her departure, a letter via Sharpshot came. It said that the Riders at Dragon's Edge had spotted Drago's ships once again. There were even more armored than usually but, besides that, they hadn't done anything out of the ordinary. It was a useful information, though. Astrid would imagine Drago would be furious after his last failed attempt to capture the Dragon Master. And he didn't seem like a man that forgot easily. She supposed it was only a matter of time before the whole thing would boil over. 

Astrid flew to Berk by herself as requested in the Terror message. The trip took less time than she thought, but perhaps it only seemed that way, as her mind was clogged with so many different things. She landed in the familiar cove on Berk. She wasn't the first one to arrive; Gobber, Hiccup, and Fishlegs, to name a few, were already there. There were about a dozen people in the cove, a variety of dragons accompanying them. Astrid wasn't sure what Hiccup was planning on doing, since convincing Stoick the Vast hadn't turned out well. As she slid off her saddle, she was welcomed with a quick hug from Hiccup and then a much tighter one from Fishlegs – she was pretty sure he had extruded all the air from her lungs. Gobber sent her a smile and, as weird as it was to see him there, she returned the gesture. 

"Good to see ye, lass." He nodded to her, his long, blond mustache jumping with the motion. 

"Seriously, where are you taking me?" Astrid raised an eyebrow as she heard the familiar voice. She turned around to see Snotlout Jorgenson, Hiccup's oh-so-gentlemanly cousin, entering the cove with his pal Dogsbreath, the village's idiot- or so it seemed. As the stocky teen looked around, his mouth fell agape, and his blue eyes widened. He turned back to his taller friend. "You?" he asked disbelievingly. "You're one of them?" 

"Snotlout." Hiccup stated roughly as he walked toward his cousin. The said teen seemed fixed to the floor as he failed to make out a sound. Astrid bit her lip in anticipation as she stood by Stormfly. Even though she wasn't Snotlout's biggest fan, she was aware how hard it must be for him. 

"H-Hiccup?" he finally uttered. Snotlout eyes searched the cove, his eyes finally landing on two more familiar faces. "Fishlegs? Gobber?" 

"We're not going to hurt ye, lad," the veteran warrior said in a calming matter, though it didn't help much. The short teen's eyes flickered back to his cousin. He looked as if he had seen a draugr. 

"Stoick said you left the island. " 

"I did." Hiccup gave a curt nod. "But now I'm back." He put a hand on the other man's shoulder and led him further into the cove. Snotlout's eyes kept flicking from one side to the other, trying to grasp what was happening. When he spotted Astrid, his eyebrow's shot up even higher. 

"You're… you're the Dragon Riders? All this time… Lie after lie…." He muttered under his breath. Hiccup waited patiently for him to stop before whistling. A bright orange Monstrous Nightmare came up to them, eying the now-frantic Viking before him with distrust. Snotlout stiffened at the close presence of the dragon. The Nightmare sniffed the air around him and decided to take a step closer. Hiccup's cousin opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out. He seemed mesmerized by the dragon, as if seeing it in a completely new light. The creature's eyes dilated and Astrid's mind shot back to the night in the Dragon Training arena on Bjargey so many weeks ago. Hiccup took his cousin's hand and held it out for the dragon. Snotlout flinched away slightly, though his hand remained where it was. The Nightmare hesitated a bit before putting his snout under the boy's hand. Hiccup let go and backed away. 

"Wait! Wh-where are you going?" Snotlout turned his head away, his eyes widening in alarm. 

"You got this, Snotlout. There's nothing to be afraid of." 

"I-I'm not afraid..." The stocky teen tried to sound confident, but it didn't really work. Astrid saw Fishlegs snorting slightly. Snotlout somewhat reluctantly turned back to the orange dragon. His shoulders became a bit less tense as he ran his hand over the dragon's scales. 

Suddenly, loud noises could be heard in the distance. About fifty armed Vikings burst into the cove. The moment of peace was quickly ended as the Nightmare burst into flames, almost burning Snotlout's hand in the process. The dragons, seeing sharp weapons aimed their way, assumed a battle stance, ready to defend themselves as well as their riders. Astrid unstrapped the axe from the Edge and she saw Hiccup taking out a tube of some sorts. He clicked something on the side, turning it into what seemed to be a sword. But not just any sword- one that was on fire. The Vikings visibly backed away from him, his weapon flaming brightly. 

"Hold yer position," came the steady voice of Stoick the Vast. The attacking Vikings made space for him to come closer. The Chief of Berk looked as if he had aged noticeably since Astrid last saw him. Dark bags under his eyes and the messy beard led her to believe that he had not been sleeping well lately. The blonde couldn't really blame him. Stoick's green eyes ran over the people in the cove. They landed extra-long on Gobber and Hiccup. 

"I told ye not to come back," he finally barked towards the auburn-haired teen. Conflict was visible in his eyes and Astrid lowered her axe slightly, titling her head to the side in deep thought. The new-coming Berkians were eying the dragons that had yet to attack. They seemed a bit lost, confused, that they hadn't been torn to shreds or burnt to crisps yet. 

"We both knew I would." Hiccup said quietly as he shifted his weight to his right leg. Stoick clenched his fists as he gazed at the ground.

"Of all the crazy things, ye've done… things ye could've done…" the Viking man trailed off angrily. He looked up at his only son. "Ye've been lying to me for four years, Hiccup! _Four_! Siding with the enemy, sneaking out right under my nose… All those hunting, fishing trips... a lie as well... Ye turned almost half the village against me, even my best friend…" He shot the Berkian blacksmith a long look before turning back to Hiccup. "Is that how important it is to ye? Important enough to choose _them_ , over _us_?" 

"I didn't choose anyone." Hiccup shook his head desperately. "I want what's best for both people and dragons. I want you to understand that." He dropped his arms by his sides, deactivating his fire-sword. Astrid wished she could be there, beside him, to support him. Stoick stood there in silence for what felt like hours. The dragons were eying the Vikings suspiciously, the Berkians returning the favour. 

"With the things being the way they are, I don't see another way to resolve it," the Chief growled darkly after a beat. Astrid gasped slightly. They were going to kill Hiccup, if not all of them. Maybe there was a chance, even a slight one, to escape in time, but Astrid knew that Hiccup wouldn't take it. Things had escalated quickly, that was for sure. She readied herself for Stoick's order to attack. Hiccup seemed to have expected the same thing as he assumed a defensive pose. 

"Ye, young man, are going to teach me how to ride a dragon." Astrid almost dropped her weapon in surprise. That was definitely something she wasn't expecting. The Berkians didn't either. They were staring at their Chief in surprise. 

"If you want to execute me, fine. But leave the others… " Hiccup stopped, his father's words finally hitting him. "Wait, what did you say?" 

"By the pace in which ye've been recruiting new people, I can only assume that the situation hasn't gotten better." Hiccup only stared dumbly at his father. "As much as I hate the idea of trusting those beasts, I hate Drago Bludvist even more." The eighteen-year old tried to keep a straight face, though a relieved, hopeful smile threatened to escape anyway. Astrid breathed out a sigh of relief. Maybe their father-son relationship was not written off for sure after all. 

"Well," Stoick rested his hands on his sides, "are ye going to show me how to tame one of those creatures or not?" He looked at his son expectantly. Hiccup smirked slightly. 

"I'd be honored to." 

* * *

Astrid found Hiccup sitting in the cove. He was busy throwing some stones into the pond that was in the middle of the lush meadow. Toothless was napping, hanging upside-down from a nearby tree. The auburn-haired teen seemed deep in thought. 

A week had passed since Stoick agreed to give the dragons a chance. A green and brown Rumblehorn had seemed like an ideal dragon for him, stubborn, strong and extremely protective. He and Hiccup didn't exactly make up, but their relationship wasn't as bad anymore. It would need time, and there wasn't much of that now. Three days ago a letter had come, reporting that numerous troops of Drago's people had been spotted very close. It seemed like the final straw was drawing nearer and nearer. Hiccup once said that by the time the first snow fell, the whole thing would be over. It wasn't really specific, but as the temperature dropped significantly in the last few days, Astrid felt the uneasiness settle deeply in her stomach. She was aware that the game of cat and mouse had to end eventually, and it would be sooner, rather than later. 

"Hey," Astrid said as she sat beside him. Her hands automatically went to his hair and started weaving the longish strands into a small braid. The action came naturally to her; she had done it quite often recently, and she knew that it calmed not only Hiccup, but her as well. 

"Hi," he answered quietly, staring absently at the pond. 

"Everything alright?" Astrid's brow furrowed slightly as she started twisting a second braid into the back of his hair. She noted his shoulders were tense, tenser than normal. 

"I can't do it." He shook his head slightly, pulling his hair from her grasp. He fiddled with his hands nervously. Seeing that, Astrid took one of them in her own and squeezed it. The simple gesture made him turn to look at her. She ran a hand over his cheek softly. 

"What do you mean?" He dropped his gaze and scowled. 

"Be their leader. I-I can't do that Astrid." He ran a thumb over her hand. " I… I can't lead them to their deaths. I know nothing about leadership, I'm not… I'm not cut out for that. They all depend on me… and the only thing I'll do is… _kill_ them." 

"Hiccup, look at me." Astrid grabbed his chin gently and turned his head so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "There is no one more cut out for this than you. You're an amazing leader. People listen to you because they want to, because they have faith in you. _I_ have faith in you. You are the only one, that can bring humans, and dragons, together." She placed her hand gently over his heart. "You can do it, I _know_ you can." 

She kissed him quickly. Pulling away, she noticed his expression had softened significantly.

"I don't deserve you," he breathed out and kissed her. Astrid felt her cheeks flush at the words. She didn't think so. If anything, _she_ didn't deserve _him_. 

"You're a good person, Hiccup," Astrid muttered against his lips. At those words he pulled away abruptly. Astrid stared at him in surprise. 

"I was the one that shot down Toothless and ripped off his tailfin," he spat out quickly, trying to get rid of the truth, throw it away. He looked ashamed. 

"You didn't mean to-" 

"Yes. Yes I did. I wanted to kill him." He said it barely audibly. Astrid swallowed slowly. 

"But you didn't." His eyes briefly met hers. "And that's what matters." Hiccup turned his head to look at the Night Fury. The dragon was still sleeping, unaware of the conversation taking place only a few feet away from him. Maybe it was better that way. Astrid couldn't picture Hiccup wanting to kill Toothless. They were best friends, brothers by everything but blood. She had never seen a stronger bond between a dragon and a human and she admired them for that. The way they flew together, it was like they had one mind, one body. They knew what the other wanted and needed. She could only dream of something like that. Astrid found it ironic. Toothless had lost his left tailfin, and Hiccup – his left leg. It seemed they matched in the most cruel way possible. But it made them stronger, not physically - mentally. 

"I _have_ killed dragons." Astrid felt she needed to say that, even if only to feel a bit lighter after the confession. A few months ago she was proud of that, but now? It made her heart clench tightly in her chest. If she had known before… If she had been brave enough to try and see… Like Hiccup was. By being different, being himself, he saw something that others couldn't. And he stood up for his beliefs even when it got him hurt, sometimes beyond repair. Hiccup sat in silence, causing Astrid to feel uneasy. He had to be aware of what she told him, she was the victor of the Dragon Training after all. Then why had he stayed quiet for so long? Was he disgusted with her? Did it only now hit him what she had done? 

"I killed someone," Hiccup croaked out, and buried his head in his hands. Oh. Astrid's hands dropped by her sides. That was… unexpected. She sneaked her right hand up to meet his. He was shaking. Astrid briefly wondered if he was crying, but it wasn't the case. 

"I-I didn't mean to. I-" his voice broke mid-sentence. The older teen took a deep breath and shook his head. "It was… it was when I tried to escape from Drago's ship. I-I was in a cage and-" 

"You don't have to tell me." Astrid ran a hand through his hair in a calming matter. Hiccup shook his head again, continuing. 

"He walked up to me with a knife and I… I snapped. I couldn't take it anymore. I'd been on that ship for three months and they… they take pleasure in hurting people, Astrid." He took in a large gulp of air. Astrid didn't want to interrupt him. He obviously needed to say it. Tears started traveling down his cheeks and she brought her hand up to tenderly wipe them away. She wouldn't be at all surprised if she was the first person that he had told about it. He needed to free himself of that, let it go, before it consumed him entirely. 

"A-and there was a girl. In the c-cage opposite me. I heard her _yell_ and _scream_ and _plead_ for mercy while they… I couldn't… I couldn't do anything." 

"Hiccup... I'm so sorry." She hugged him from behind, pressing her cheek into his shirt. His shaking hadn't stopped, getting worse instead. She felt something wet on her cheek and she realized she begun to cry as well. Why, she wasn't sure. Maybe it was for Hiccup, for all the pain he had been through, even though he hadn't deserve one bit of it. Maybe for the nameless girl in the cage opposite the young man. Maybe, maybe… 

"Do you think I'm a monster, Astrid?" She almost missed the question. Almost. She wanted to flick him for that. How could he even think that? It was ridiculous. He had such a huge heart, thinking about everyone but himself, and yet, he still thought so low of himself. But why should he believe otherwise? He had received nothing but scornful looks in his hometown and had been named the Dragon Master, the devil, the traitor. 

A _monster_ , they called him in some villages.

They named him that because they were scared, because they didn't, couldn't, understand. Astrid couldn't either, for a long time. But it took a toll on the hurting boy. It broke him, bit by bit. But it would be better now. They would see the real Hiccup, not the image of the scary Dragon Rider that had been planted in their minds. 

"I could never," Astrid murmured softly. They stayed in a tight embrace until the sun started to set. They sat in simple silence, just basking in the other's presence. Hiccup had stopped trembling after some time, and Astrid stopped the tears from running down her face. She hated being seen vulnerable, but with him, it was different. He allowed her to see sides of him that were mostly covered for the others. She could only return the favour. Astrid knew she could count on him and he could count on her. Yes, they hadn't known each other for a very long time, but Astrid had never been so close with anyone else. He made her laugh and cry, he was able to draw out the worst and the best in her. They knew of each other's flaws, but were able to see past them. 

When, less than a week later, Drago and his army were nearing the Dragon Sanctuary, Astrid stood at the front line with Hiccup by her side. Her husband, confidence regained, stood his ground as he awaited the inevitable to come. The people stood by their leader, trusting him with their lives. Faults of the past had been forgiven, as the will to protect and to fight for their loved ones united people and dragons together. It was all up to the Gods now. 

Either they would win, or they would die trying. 

**A/N:**

 **!IMPORTANT!**

 **As of today, I'm on a two week vacation. I still want to post new chapters at usual time (I have them mostly prepared) but there could be a problem with the Internet connection. If the chapter is late or if those two weeks are silent, please know that it was because of that. I'll try my best to find a good, reliable connection but I can't promise you anything. The same goes for review replies. They might be a little late too – it also depends on the connection. Thank you for your patience! :D**

 **Guest reviews!** _(from the earliest to the latest)_

 **Guest 1** **:** _It's good that he has Egil somewhat on his side – it adds some confidence in what he is doing. I'm glad you liked the argument between Astrid and Hiccup. :) I wanted to show that relationships not only consist of good times. Arguments happen but it's the fact they can make up, put it past them – this is what makes them stronger. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. ;)_

 **Aiacco** **:** _When you think about it – you're right, things could've gone way worse for them. But it's a good thing that they didn't in the end. I guess your question has been answered in this chapter, the one ragerding Egil and the Raincutter. :D I feel this quote is perfect for both HG and HTTYD – it's extremely powerful and, in the books and the movies, the scene with it belongs to my favorites. :)_

 **Guest 2** **:** _I'm sooo happy to hear that! I'm glad that it isn't boring, or at least I hope so. This is a huge compliment so thank you, really. :D_

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	25. The End Part 1

**Hello there peoples! I am so, so sorry for being late. As it turned out, there was no Internet connection whatsoever. But I'm back now!**

 **!PLEASE READ!**

 **There won't be a** **SEQUEL** **for Inner Struggles, that much I know, but I do have a proposition. By that I mean a** **SERIES** **of short stories, oneshots and drabbles from this universe – showing what happened before, during and after the main story and seen from different point of views ( e.g Hiccup and Astrid's first meeting eleven years ago, how it all begun, etc, etc). I have some of them written up, at least partly, for myself and my head is full of ideas so it's just the matter of whether you'd want it. I set up a** **POLL** **, it's on my profile page. Please, please, leave your vote – it's really important for me to know your opinion. FOR THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE AN ACCOUNT – you can leave a message, anonymously or not, on my** **TUMBLR** **– (SLAVIC) (VIKING).(TUMBLR).com (slash) ask**

 **!THANK YOU!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How To Train Your Dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Quick note before you start reading: this chapter has no particular point of view. I felt that showing it only from Astrid's perspective would not be enough to see the whole thing the way it should be seen.**

 **Warning: It's rated T for a reason! Blood, violence and death!**

 **Once again, huge thanks to** **residentmotherhen** **for making the chapter more readable! :D**

 **Enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 25  
**

 **The one that ended it all**

Everything was quiet. 

Warriors, people from across the whole Archipelago and beyond, gripped their weapons tighter as Drago Bludvist's massive fleet continued to sail indomitably towards the White King's Nest. Hundreds of soldiers emerged from the massive ships, heaving their equipment onto the land that was covered with a thin layer of clear, untouched snow. Winter had come earlier than anticipated, surprising even the elder residents of the Archipelago. Tiny snowflakes danced erratically in the sky, clutching onto people's armor and weapons. Drago's army was a big one - the man had had all the time he needed to gather warriors from all over the world - but so was the Riders' one. Matched in size and strength, no one could predict the ultimate winner. Everyone in the Nest was on their prearranged positions, waiting for their leader, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, to give an order. It seemed almost silly, careless, to see a mere boy, so much smaller than the imposing men around him, leading an army like that one. But, truth be told, there was no one more suitable than him. 

Silence accompanied the anxious humans and dragons as they waited in different parts of the Dragon Sanctuary. The once safe-haven for dragons had become a fortress that they were to protect. It was the unofficial border of the Barbaric Archipelago, the icy island creating a line that Drago Bludvist could not cross while they were still alive. If he did, things would take a horrible turn. Hiccup was standing at the top of the mountain, observing Drago's men closing the distance between them and the icy tower. He began to check over everything one, last time. As he flew around the mountain, he noticed with satisfaction that everyone was busy with last preparations, be it physical or mental ones. But they were ready; as ready as they could be. The catapults were hidden but ready to use. Hearing a commotion on the front side, Hiccup returned quickly to his previous spot on the top. He walked past some of the people he recognized from the Edge and reached the end of a cliff that overlooked the rest of the island. It wouldn't be long now, he noted, his breathing becoming rigid. He sensed someone behind him and a familiar blonde appeared by his side a short moment later. They kept looking ahead in silence, so many words staying unsaid. 

"If… anything goes wrong-" She didn't let him finish, placing a gentle hand on his upper arm. 

"Don't," Astrid said sharply. They fell silent again, observing the docked ships of their enemy. She hugged herself, suddenly hesitant, uncertain. 

"I-" She bit her lip to stop herself from saying something stupid and not-thought-through. Astrid felt the urge to do something completely un-Vikingly, to embrace him, tell him just how much he meant to her as neither of them knew whether they would see each other again. And yet, she could not muster the will, the confidence to do anything, staying in the awkward position instead. "Promise me nothing will go wrong." 

Hiccup opened his mouth to respond when something else caught his eye. He grabbed his wife's hand and pulled her roughly back towards the mountain. Astrid tried to see what caused him to act that way but the surroundings went much darker as they entered the cave. 

"Hiccup? What is going-" She didn't get to finish as Hiccup pulled her to the ground with him as if to shield her from something. 

"Get down!" someone in the distance shouted. It was then that Astrid realized what was happening. 

Drago's first catapult launched. 

The mountain shook at the impact and a large shard of the ice wall broke off. The cave they were in stayed intact, and all the Riders that had thrown themselves on the ground now stood slowly again. In all the commotion, Hiccup quickly disappeared from her sight; a loud horn could be heard, announcing the beginning of the battle. Some of the people scrambled from their positions to take up new ones, and others stayed where they were, waiting for their time to come in. Astrid took a deep breath and moved further into the cave where Stormfly was waiting for her. 

In the meantime, Drago's men launched another catapult, the resulting crash breaking off another small shard of the ice wall on one of the sides. They moved to reload the catapult, but were interrupted as the ground beneath them began to shake violently. They looked around but saw nothing that could have caused something so dramatic. It convulsed again; this time much stronger. A loud, steady thumping could be heard, one that seemed to be coming from underneath them. Suddenly, a huge crater appeared before them, swallowing some of the men. With a deafening roar, enraged dragons of all shapes and sizes started to emerge from the hole in the ground. Catastrophic Quakens, Whispering Deaths, and Thunderpedes demolished the ground under Drago's unwary men, successfully trapping them. More and more pieces of the surface collapsed in on itself, the Boulder Class dragons moving steadily forward and eating out the ground. It was an a strategic, intelligently-planned move to cut a portion of the Drago's men away from the ships, forcing them to draw closer to the unstable mountain. 

Oili, who was standing by the edge of the mountain, took out her bow. She nodded to herself, her tight, strawberry-blonde braid falling over her shoulder. The black armor felt weird; she didn't wear it often. Her brown eyes **[1]** scanned the battlefield warily before returning to the people by her side. Her brothers would join in soon, she was about to join in – and it _terrified_ her. Her milky complexion was most probably ashy now. She gripped the bow tighter in her hands. 

"Prepare yourselves!" A Bob-Burglar in her mid-thirties, the most experienced archer they had, yelled to grab the attention of the line of archers beside her. Oili should consider herself lucky that it was this woman that led her division, but it didn't matter to her in that moment. Another boulder hit the mountain's side but, thankfully, it didn't manage to do much damage. The archers, Oili included, prepared their weapons and lined themselves by the edge. She would not fail, she kept telling herself. She may be young, not as experienced as the ones that stood by her side, but she would not fail her family, or Astrid, or… or _Hiccup_. 

"We have to take out the catapults first!" The young girl reached back for an arrow, the people by her side doing the same. They weren't normal arrows. No, they would be too easy, too brittle if that was the case. These were made to be far more destructive. They worked a bit like a flint. Covered in Monstrous Nightmare's saliva, they caught on fire pretty quickly, the flame moving rapidly down the length of the arrow. At its half-length point, there was a bit of spit coming from a Zippleback's gas-breathing head. If it burnt to that point, the arrow was designed to explode. The archers lit their arrows in the nearby braziers and aimed. 

"Fire!" their division's leader commanded loudly and dozens of burning arrows were released. Some hit their targets, some missed, but a few seconds later the sounds of explosions could be heard clearly. They had no time to celebrate their success, as a massive boulder hit the wall close to the archers, making the already unstable ground jerk from beneath their feet. Oili's heart thundered as she saw the ground cracking right under her. Another loud horn came from the Dragon Sanctuary's side. Just then, the floor beneath the archers imploded completely - another successful hit from Drago's catapults had worsened the already tragic situation. The archers plummeted, clawing for a handhold as they fell. Oili tried desperately to grab the edge of the mountain but her hands slipped. Icecone, her Woolly Howl, was too far away - he would not catch her in time. This was it. She closed her eyes, readying herself for the impact. 

It never came. 

As the girl cracked her eyes open hesitantly, she found herself a few feet above the ground, pearl-white snow racing underneath her. A familiar sky-blue Nadder had caught her just in time. 

"You weren't planning on going down so early, were you?" Astrid Hofferson shouted through the air. Despite the situation, Oili couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips. She saw Icecone flying up to her, the 'fur' rippling through the wind. Oili patted Stormfly's talons and released herself from them, landing gracefully on the back of the white Woolly Howl. With shaky hands, the girl tied herself to the saddle and leveled out. 

"Thanks!" Oili yelled back. Astrid turned to her for a second and gave her a thumbs up. Following the blonde, hundreds of dragons with Riders on their backs flew out of the Sanctuary. The sky was momentarily filled with the colorful reptiles, a blatant contrast to the heavily armored dragons of their enemy. Astrid and the others took a sharp turn to the side, gazing at the scene before them. Pillars of smoke furled upwards, marking the damage made by the arrows and other dragons. The middle of the battlefield had turned into a massive hole, absorbing remnants of catapults and other war machines. The Boulder Class dragons had eaten their share and fell back towards the mountain. Drago's army of winged creatures was now in the air, but there were no riders atop them. 

"Come on, girl," Astrid urged the dragon. She avoided a bola coming her way and nudged Stormfly to shoot a round of spikes, successfully disabling one of the catapults. 

The warriors that weren't on a dragon, either because they didn't want to or there weren't any left for them, and those whose dragons were wingless, engaged the enemy on the ground. Drago's men had an advantage there but it did not discourage them in the slightest. With a battle cry that would make the Gods in Asgard proud, they charged. The Riders were helping them from the air as well, mainly by taking out the enemy archers and the people armed with crossbows. A wave of Deadly Nadders led by Astrid flew by and shot a fresh round of deadly spines. 

Some of the dragon had become caught in the traps set up by Bludvist's men. Seemingly out of nowhere, a loud explosion could be heard from the mountain's side and a dozen of Hideous Zippleback's flew in, letting out the characteristic, green gas as they went. The Mystery Class dragons formed themselves into hoops and started rolling down towards the catapults. Using the gas and the sparks, the Zipplebacks lit themselves on fire, destroying everything on their path. Drago's men, seeing such a frightening thing, made a poor attempt at escaping, although not everyone was lucky enough. Even so, in the meantime another round of dragons were captured. Not to be deterred, a green Zippleback swooped over the traps and spewed out a cloud of its pungent green gas. A vividly colored Thunderclaw that was at their side lit up the mist, creating a massive explosion and freeing some of the dragons in the process. Other Riders started doing a similar thing a few feet away from them. 

"This is so awesome!" The male Rider atop one head of a green Zippleback yelled out, reveling in the explosion that they caused. Tuffnut turned to the dragon flying next to him. "Good shot, man!" 

"Thanks!" Gunnar Hofferson shouted through the wind. He trembled on the back of the Thunderclaw, grasping the saddle as if his life depended on it. Truth be told, it actually did. It wasn't his first flight, but all the chaos surrounding him made it quite difficult for the new Rider. Neither he nor his father were naturals on the back of the winged creatures and Gunnar _knew_ it. He looked quickly around but his older sister was nowhere to be found. He had seen her some time ago by the archers but nothing after that. She seemed fine then. Gunnar shook his head; he couldn't think about it now. The twins, for whatever reason excited to be there, shot a fireball towards one of the catapults. What they didn't notice was that it had managed to fire before it was destroyed. In a blink of an eye, the female twin was pushed off the Zippleback's right head. With a shriek, Tuffnut tried to catch his sister, but it was too late for that. Gunnar leaned to the side, trying to see Ruffnut. He was about to dive in for her when a bright orange Monstrous Nightmare grabbed the girl mid-air. 

"Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi! Oi! Oi!" his rider sung as he flew past them. The built male dropped off the shaken girl and winked quickly. "Come on Hookfang, let's show them what we can do!" 

Snotlout was one of the newest Dragon Riders but he was doing pretty well, if he said so himself. He had survived this long, so that was something. He kicked the Nightmare to the side to dive in. Hookfang, perhaps in revenge for the kick, started twirling, lighting himself on fire and creating even bigger flames that way. Snotlout found himself gripping the reins tighter at the unexpected turn of the events. Hookfang managed to destroy yet another dragon trap and they flew away a bit to ready themselves for another attack. But, when the dragon started to fly towards another catapult, something went wrong, very wrong. The Nightmare seemed to have inexplicably lost his ability to fly, leaning to his left side and flopping awkwardly. 

"Hookfang?! What-" The Jorgenson teen spotted an arrow sticking out of the dragon's wing and pulled it out in panic. It must have affected the orange dragon because they were quickly plummeting towards the ground. Snotlout tried to do something, anything to regain control, but nothing seemed to work. The Nightmare shrieked and tried to pull himself into a ball just before hitting the ground. On the ground, Snotlout crawled painfully out from beneath Hookfang, who now seemed completely paralyzed. When he finally managed to stand, he was met face-to-face with none other than Drago Bludvist. The man was staring at him, hate burning in his cruel eyes. 

Snotlout cringed, _hard_. 

"Um…hi." The black-haired teen knew it was the end of him; there was no other option. If it were anyone else, maybe he would have managed to fight him somehow. But the massive figure of Drago seemed almost invincible. The man grabbed the boy by the throat with his right hand. He was about to finish him when another resounding horn came from the Dragon Sanctuary, causing Drago to turn around in curiosity, keeping the grip on Snotlout's throat. There was a loud "BOOM" and another huge part of the icy wall fell away, revealing another wave of dragons and their Riders, led by a black Night Fury. With the whistle he was famous for, the dragon splintered a catapult into bits with a single plasma blast. 

If this was impressive, it was only the beginning. A roar, unlike any Snotlout had ever experienced in his seventeen years, could be heard resounding over the entire battlefield. The mountain shook violently as an enormous dragon broke purposely out. It was at least a hundred and fifty feet tall, and it looked seriously _pissed_. The giant dragon tossed his head, destroying the remaining portion of the ice wall blocking his path with his large tusks, and letting out another deafening roar. His head reared back, and he shot forth from his mouth a giant wave of pure, sharp, deadly ice all over the surrounding enemy. Snotlout gulped. Hiccup never mentioned _that_. The teen was torn from his shock by Drago chuckling darkly, his lips pulled into a sickening smirk. 

"Now," He shoved the young Berkian to the ground. Snotlout gasped for breath, reaching to his throat as he tried to draw in the sweet, sweet air. "Now we have a fight!" Snotlout managed to prop himself up, looking terrified as Drago took out a long, hooked staff. The man let out the yell of a madman and started swinging his weapon in violent circles in the air. At first, nothing happened. As Drago released another yell, Snotlout decided that trying to escape now would be possible. He crawled closer to Hookfang and saw that the dragon was getting better. Whatever was in that arrow, it apparently temporally paralyzed the creature struck with it. Good thing it didn't seem to cause lasting damage, aside from the arrow wound itself. The Nightmare was able to move his wing a bit, but he was in no condition to fly, let alone fly quickly. Snotlout cursed under his breath. 

An ominous sound rose up, a violent crashing and crashing from the ocean. Something dark, and huge started to emerge from the water, destroying some of Drago's ships as it rose up larger and larger. 

"Another one?" Snotlout asked weakly. Drago turned back to the teen, clearly proud of his beast. Snotlout couldn't really blame him for that. Drago's heavy boots clanged with each step as he got closer to the young Berkian, and, despite all the chaos around them, Snotlout could hear only them. Hookfang snarled at the man as he tried clumsily to get up. Suddenly smoke clouded his vision. When it finally cleared, Snotlout saw his cousin; yet surprisingly, his Night Fury was nowhere to be found. He still couldn't wrap his head around the idea that "little" Hiccup was the Dragon Master. His usually quiet and shy cousin was standing before him, clad in fierce armor and ready to attack. The tall teen positioned himself between Snotlout and Drago, facing the latter one. He held a sword in his left hand. 

"Dragon Master. We meet yet again," Drago said calmly. Snotlout knew he shouldn't be there. It was not his fight. Before the battle, Hiccup, along with other heirs and Dragon Riders, formulated a whole plan for Drago's attack. When asked about Drago, he only said: _Leave him to me_. The tone alone was enough to send shivers down people's backs. Snotlout hadn't known his cousin was even capable of sounding like that. He realized then, how little he truly knew the person he had grown up next to. Hiccup had personal history with Drago Bludvist, and Snotlout didn't even want to imagine what caused his cousin to hate him so much. 

The white Bewilderbeast let out another roar and moved towards Drago's dark one. Hiccup swallowed hard, fixing his gaze on the huge man in front of him instead. He hadn't known that Drago had a Bewilderbeast; that changed things a lot. The Riders had seemed to be in the winning position up until now, but the arrival of this dark monster could ruin it all. 

"I've waited a long time for that." Drago let out a deafening yell and the black Bewilderbeast attacked the White King. Drago took his hooked staff and launched forward. Hiccup easily blocked his attack. He needed to kill him, he had to. He was the one that controlled the Bewilderbeast. If it were anyone else, Hiccup would have done everything to avoid it, but he had no pity for Drago whatsoever. He would do it. For all those hurt people, for all the slaves. For his mother. Hiccup would live with the guilt forever, but if it meant people he cared about were safe… he was willing to make that sacrifice. Hiccup saw Snotlout and Hookfang being grabbed by a green Typhoomerang, taking them away from him and Drago. Good, it was _his_ fight. There was no need for anyone else to be there. He had instructed Toothless to only drop him off, and then take over the lead when it came to dragons that were still fighting. Hiccup breathed out. A human against a human. An Alpha against an Alpha. 

Hiccup and Drago clashed together, a hook against a sword. While Drago used his sheer strength, the young man preferred his agility and speed. He was not weak and useless anymore. He could take on another man. The two of them fought just as the two Alpha dragons did the same distance away. Drago's hook grazed Hiccup's eyebrow, barely missing his left eye. The teen felt warm blood pouring from the wound, the flowing liquid rapidly filling his vision in one eye. Undeterred, his sword found its mark, digging into the bigger man's leg. Drago growled in fury. The giant man delivered Hiccup a stinging blow to the face in response, sending him reeling. He had used his left arm instead of right, and as it turned out, it was a fake one, crafted from metal. Hiccup found out about it the hard way. The blow knocked him back, and he landed on his knees. He tore of his mask to cough out some blood and a single tooth. 

"Understand it, boy. You're weak. You're nothing in comparison with _true_ strength." The two Alphas continued to fight each other but it seemed as if the White King was losing to the other Bewilderbeast. Hiccup spluttered out some more blood, feeling weak. He needed to get up but felt he couldn't. Drago approached him slowly, savoring each second of the Dragon Master crouched over on the ground, unable to get back up. Different images rushed before Hiccup's eyes – his dad, Toothless, Astrid – he hadn't even told them goodbye. He… he needed.. Hiccup finally stood up, shaky and pale. Drago attacked with his hook again but the teen somehow managed to barely avoid it. Picturing again his loved ones, he found new strength, and started again to fight back with equal power. They exchanged blows for several minutes, neither of them landing any significantly harmful ones. Each began tire, Drago's strength lessening from his repeated heavy blows, and Hiccup's from his constant ducking and dodging, Finally, by some favor of the gods, Hiccup managed to slash his sword deep across Drago's face. The man stumbled, the hit surely injuring one of his eyes. He seemed a bit disoriented and his steps became unstable. In the distance, The White King launched forward, making a successful attack. Enraged by the turn of events, Drago regripped his hook and launched forward- Hiccup was too slow to react. The hook drove into his lower stomach. It didn't go straight through him, fortunately, but it went past the thick armor, although Hiccup was unable to comprehend any of this at the moment. Drago, still weakened, stumbled backwards, and the teen managed to pull the blade out of his stomach. He dropped the hook to the ground. Blood flowed freely, soaking his armor but Hiccup, adrenaline pumping, and full of fury towards this cruel madman, didn't feel any pain. He charged and landed a hard kick to Drago's stomach. The huge man landed on his knees, Hiccup almost doing the same. 

"Go on. Kill me," Drago challenged, the sick smirk still gracing his lips. Hiccup's vision started to double. He shook his head slightly and looked at the bloody sword in his left hand. Drago. He had to kill him. Yes- but what would it change; he was practically dead anyways. And he was a human. He didn't want to kill him. But he hated Drago, more than he thought was possible. If Hiccup killed him, he couldn't harm anyone anymore. The auburn-haired teen battled with himself. He breathed heavily; the ground was spinning around him violently, the image of two Dragos converging and decoupling again. 

"I knew you were too weak for that," Drago choked out, sure of his words. Even while dying he was able to get to him. "Weak. Just like your mother. That whore-" He was forever silenced by the sword that was driven through his chest. Hiccup collapsed by the gurgling body and buried his head in his hands. He couldn't breathe. The teen started gasping, desperately trying to suck in some air. He did it. He killed him. But at what cost? What now? His ears rung; he couldn't hear anything beside his own blood pumping in his veins. As he looked at Drago's dead eyes, his mind came back to those months on the ship. His breathing became worse as images of that time began flashing before his eyes. His hand reached for the place where his pendant always hung but found nothing. Instead, as he withdrew his hand, he realized it was covered in blood. His or Drago's, he wasn't sure. Before he could stop himself, he turned to the side and vomited. Holding his stomach tightly, Hiccup leaned down, his forehead touching the ground, the cold snow a great contrast for his burning face. A cry escaped him as he clenched his teeth. His lower stomach hurt inconceivably, the stab he had received from Drago making itself known. A warble came from behind him and Hiccup pulled away from the dirty ground, pressing a hand onto the wound. Turning around, he saw that Toothless had landed near him. The dragon cautiously came closer and then pressed his head into his rider's chest in a comforting manner. Hiccup felt on the verge of breaking down as he gripped his best friend.

A loud roar brought him back to reality. He turned his head slightly to see the two Bewilderbeasts. Their fight was slowly ending as the white Bewilderbeast was backing away more and more. The dark beast made a final blow, driving his long tusks into the other dragon's body. 

"N-no…" Hiccup's voice trembled. It wasn't supposed to happen. The White King let out a final roar before his body collapsed into the sea. Roaring in victory, Drago's Bewilderbeast searched over the battlefield for his master. The beast seemed almost lost without Drago's commands. Hiccup saw it as an opportunity. If the dragon was confused, lost, it may have trouble with trying to control the other ones. Maybe it wouldn't even be able to. Hiccup had to pound the iron while it was still hot. He stood up despite his body screaming not to. Toothless crooned worriedly at him but Hiccup ignored it, mounting the dragon instead. The Night Fury knew how stubborn his best friend was and if he set his mind on something, nothing was going to stop him. Hiccup got out a roll of material from a small satchel by the saddle and, groaning in pain, he tied it over his stomach tightly, trying to stop the bleeding as much as he could. His bloodied hands left marks wherever he touched the saddle or Toothless but he didn't care. 

The battle was not over yet. 

* * *

Astrid looked at the white and gentle Bewilderbeast fall to his death. She felt panic grip her heart. The White King was their biggest hope and now... it was gone. To add to that, Hiccup was nowhere to be found. She knew that he was supposed to take care of Drago, but it certainly didn't make her feel any calmer. Suddenly a bola came her way. She was too slow to react and it hit its target, hopelessly entangling them; she and Stormfly started to plummet. She managed to cut the ropes mid-air, but not soon enough - Stormfly didn't have enough time to fully unfurl her wings, and they hit the ground. Beside her, Fishlegs and Meatlug hurtled to the ground with much more power. They seemed more or less fine, although Astrid's leg seemed to have been cut by one of Stormfly's spines from her crown. It must have happened while they were falling. 

They were momentarily surrounded by Drago's soldiers. Shaking away the fogginess from the fall, Astrid unslung her axe. She would kill them all if she had too. She knocked out the first man with the flat part of her axe and Fishlegs took out another one with his hammer. Seeing the danger their Riders were in, Stormfly fired an expertly-aimed round of spikes and Meatlug formed a barrier of lava on one side of them. Two more soldier fell. Astrid swung her axe but her new opponent avoided it and kicked the weapon out of her hands. She crouched down to avoid being hit, wincing at the pain in her thigh. Her opponent was suddenly struck with a hammer and as he fell down, Fishlegs came from behind him. He quickly threw Astrid the axe as soldiers moved to surround him. She delivered a blow to the head to one of the men on Fishlegs' side, panting hard. It wasn't looking good for them. Suddenly, an infamous whistle made everyone look upward. 

The Night Fury landed and his Rider got off the powerful dragon. Astrid felt her heart stop beating. Most of her husband's face was covered in drying blood. Scratch that, his whole body was covered in it. The look in his eyes scared her a little bit. It looked as if he wasn't alive anymore, more of a draugr than a human. Everyone paused to look at him. 

"Drago is dead," he said in a seemingly emotionless voice. "You have no reason to fight anymore." Some of the soldiers looked around as if expecting their leader to appear and say it wasn't the truth. One of them, a burly man in his thirties stepped forward. 

"Our Bewilderbeast just killed yours. He's the new Alpha. What makes you think we'll give up now?" Some chuckles ran through the group of soldiers. 

"Your Bewilderbeast is as lost without Drago, as the rest of your army." Hiccup stated sharply, wincing a little as the words left his mouth. Regaining his posture, he continued. "I'm proposing a truce. End it before it's too late." A powerful roar sounded from the sea's side and the muscular man snorted. 

"Do you hear that? It's the sound of our victory." He pointed the center of the battlefield and thumped his muscular chest with a single fist. Hiccup swallowed. 

"There is no reason for us to fight! _Drago_ was the reason – we can end this now. Let there be peace. Think about your families… your loved ones." Some of Drago's soldiers started to look less certain, unconsciously lowering their weapons. Hiccup clenched his fists as another wave of pain hit him, making him feel weaker and weaker. 

"If Drago is no longer among the living, we shall be the ones to take up his work," the man objected, looking the Night Fury rider up and down. The left side of his mouth lifted slightly in a smirk. "I always thought the Dragon Master would be more than a mere fishbone." Hiccup heard Toothless growling from behind him. He pursed his lips at the man's childish comment and sent a quick look to Astrid, lifting his head just slightly. Astrid gave a curt nod to indicate that she understood what he was getting at. Without another word, Hiccup mounted Toothless and shot off into the sky. The muscular man let out a laugh, pointing at the place where the Night Fury and his Rider had been just a moment ago. 

"See? A coward! Just as I –" He was cut off by a bang. A fierce purple plasma blast exploded to his right, separating him from others. He looked up to see the Night Fury and another dragon, a Shovelhelm, circling above their heads. Grimacing, he turned to the other soldiers. 

"Shoot. Them. Down. Now!" 

"Come on, Stormfly!" Astrid shouted, grabbing the Nadder's attention. As a man was about to charge at her, she slid underneath him, using the slippery snow to her advantage. Using the axe to propel herself, she quickly jumped onto the blue dragon. With relief, she saw Fishlegs getting out of there too, avoiding the bolas frantically thrown their way. Astrid followed after the Night Fury and Conlectus. 

"Are you okay?" Hiccup's voice came to her as a surprise. She didn't expect him to ask something like that while the battle was still raging on. Briefly glancing at her left thigh, she forced a smile. 

"Yeah, I'm… I'm fine." 

"We need as many dragons as we can get." Hiccup quickly said, staring at the massive figure of the black Bewilderbeast. It was still searching for Drago, it seemed. The four dragons flew above the center of the battlefield. Hiccup saw Drago's soldiers divided into numerous groups, some blocked by the dragons on the Riders' side. He saw his father's Rumblehorn in the distance and some relief flooded his body. Most of the dragon traps had been destroyed and almost every catapult had been demolished, either by fire or something slamming into it. The Dragon Riders had the upper hand, but it could all change if the Bewilderbeast took over. They had to act quickly before it happened. Gods know how long they had until the beast realized Drago Bludvist is no more. 

"What are you planning on, Singultus?" Sergius asked, his eyes wandering over the theater of war. 

"We need t-to…" Hiccup winced as his vision doubled. Shaking it off, he ignored the look Astrid was sending him. "We need to drive away the Bewilderbeast. If he manages to control the other dragons, it will be nearly impossible to snap them out of it." The two Bewilderbeast, as he was seeing them, again merged back into one, and Hiccup gripped the saddle tighter. 

"Find any dragons and Dragon Riders you can that are able to help. Destroy the traps if there are still some dragons inside. We need to start firing at the Alpha." Fishlegs, Astrid, and Sergius nodded simultaneously and were about to fly away, when Hiccup stopped them. 

"Fly up to the Bewilderbeast as fast as you can and leave immediately after you shoot. Make sure your dragons are out of reach for it to take control of them." Hiccup gently nudged Toothless and they dived in to blast one of the dragon traps, releasing a Zippleback. Every muscle hurt, screaming for him to just give up, land and lay down on the cold ground. But he needed to do this one, last thing. He saw groups of dragons making their way towards the massive dragon. 

"Are you ready, bud?" Hiccup patted Toothless on his head. "One, last flight. Together." Something came over the Night Fury at those words, and he shot off with unimaginable speed, images of the reality around Hiccup barely visible. Toothless growled deeply, claiming he was ready for whatever came. Nearing closer and closer to Bewilderbeast, Hiccup's eyes widened as he saw singular, light-blue streaks appearing all over Toothless's body. The Night Fury roared furiously, attracting the attention of the dark dragon. Toothless flew right past the giant's face, letting out a single, yet powerful, blast. Following him, other dragons started to shoot at the Bewilderbeast, attacking from different sides at once. As they steered to the side slightly, Hiccup saw Fishlegs and Meatlug not far away. It didn't take long for the husky teen to notice the Night Fury's unusual coloring. 

"Hiccup… your dragon is, is _glowing_!" 

"I.. I am aware." Hiccup bit his lip, feeling unnaturally light. He glanced at the Bewilderbeast and then at Toothless. His green eyes widened in realization, his mouth stretching into a disbelieving smile. "He's challenging the Bewilderbeast, Fishlegs!" And with that, he and his best friend made his way back to the beast. The dark giant roared as he was attacked from multiple sides. Even his icy breath couldn't help in that situation. The dragon became weak, too weak. Toothless roared once again and shot towards the Bewilderbeast. They were flying close, too close, really, for Hiccup's taste. But he trusted his best friend and believed that the black dragon knew exactly what he was doing. His prosthetic leg moved on instinct; Hiccup wasn't really aware of what he was doing anymore. As they turned sharply towards the Bewilderbeast's face, Toothless prepared a final strike. 

"Now or never," Hiccup muttered under his breath. The Night Fury blasted the giant with power Hiccup had never seen before. The young Rider shielded his eyes from the light that emanated from the shot. One of the Bewilderbeast's tusks veered, the dragon letting out a deafening roar of frustration, right as Hiccup and Toothless were flying by. And then… silence. Hiccup felt something warm coming out of his right ear and then something heavy 'grew' on Toothless's prosthetic tail, weighing and pulling it down substantially. Hiccup turned to see that it was partly covered in ice; perhaps the massive dragon had indeed succeeded at letting out some of its icy breath. In the complete silence that accompanied him, except for some ringing in his ears, Hiccup tried to move the tail by yanking the stirrup. Nothing was helping and the two of them were quickly plummeting toward the ground. So this was how it would end. He saw the Bewilderbeast slowly backing away, the lone tusk falling into the water with a huge splash. Black spots appeared before Hiccup's eyes just as he felt himself being lifted. Perhaps towards Valhalla? No, not yet. As he glanced upwards, he saw a familiar Stormcutter, gripping both him and the Night Fury. 

His ears had not stopped ringing. If anything, it got even worse. Cloudjumper settled the two of them gently on the snow. Hiccup stood up, almost falling face first to the ground. His hand found the saddle and he used the little strength he had left to keep himself upright. He felt a strong gust of wind and saw Astrid and Stormfly touch down a few feet away from him. Her thin lips were moving but Hiccup wasn't able to hear what she was saying. Not even a word. Her hair was shorter… it seemed that fire was the cause of that. Shame really… he liked her long hair. So soft… and… _Focus, Hiccup_. Her brows were furrowed in worry as she looked at him. She came a bit closer but stopped herself before she reached him. Hiccup then saw the massive figure that was his father drawing near to him. Hiccup narrowed his eyes as he saw two Stoicks, then one again, then… he didn't even know. The scraps of food he had eaten in the morning started to make an attempt to escape his stomach. Again. 

"… ye…ight?" Hiccup cocked his head as snippets of words somehow got through the ringing in his ears. His father's voice seemed to be miles, miles away and yet, the red-bearded man was standing right before him. Stoick looked, dare Hiccup say it, concerned. _Well, that was new._

"… ear me?" His left ear started to catch more sounds, though the right still remained in the same state it had been in for the last few minutes. His vision started to double again. The teen made an attempt at taking a step forward. That turned out to be a mistake. His legs gave out and Hiccup felt himself sinking to the ground quickly. The world around him disappeared in the darkness. 

Stoick, seeing his son starting to fall, darted quickly towards him and caught him just before Hiccup would have met the ground. His boy was covered in blood, dirt and scratches. Stoick felt his heart drop. It was his fault. Oh, Val. She would have been so disappointed in him. He not only failed as a Chief when he couldn't protect his people from Drago, but he failed as a father, as well. He had failed greatly. Hiccup was grown up. And where was he, Stoick, when his son needed him the most? 

"Oh, Hiccup." He brought the boy to his chest, lowering himself to the ground. Stoick lifted his head slightly. People gathered around them, all gravely concerned for his son's well-being. He saw Astrid standing on the side, a hand brought to her mouth as silent tears rolled down her pale cheeks. He nodded to her slowly and she came closer, kneeling beside them and taking Hiccup's limp hand into her own. Pillars of smoke rose up from all across the battlefield, and Stoick saw many Riders disarming Drago's soldiers. The beast, the infamous Night Fury, laid unconscious on the ground. His scales, that glowed with a light blue luminescence, started fading back to their normal color. The dark Bewilderbeast had become nothing more than a black speck on the horizon. 

They had won the battle but… what now? 

**A/N:**

 **[1] Oili's eye color has been changed. It has been brought to me some time ago that she looked like another OC character from a different story. Just to make things clear - Oili, while being created, was not based on** _ **anyone**_ **. I decided to change her eye color to avoid any misunderstandings. The last thing I would want to do is to steal someone else's idea. :D (Her eye color will be changed in the first chapter as well)**

 **UPDATE: This is NOT the real last chapter. The story is not complete YET. There is one chapter and an epilogue left. Sorry, if there has been any confusion.**

 **The end of the story is near, unfortunately, but there is some great news as well. Inner Struggles has now over 400 followers and nearly 300 favorites. To add to that, my other story, Not So Bad After All, has recently reached 100 favorites. I can't express how** **amazed** **and** **grateful** **I am. This… I can't find the words, I simply can't. All I can say is THANK YOU! SO MUCH! YOU ARE TRULY** **AMAZING** **!**

 **Don't forget the poll! (Sorry for pestering)**

 **Guest reviews (from the oldest to the earliest):**

 **Guest 1** **:** Thank you! I wanted their bond to be something true and strong, not forced in any way. I'm glad you like the Stoick moments as well. He and Hiccup still have a long way to go, but they are on the right track. Everything needs time after all! :D 

**Guest 2** **:** The story is ending and so the side-conflicts needed to be more or less resolved. I'm really glad you liked the way I did it! Even though Astrid and Hiccup _truly_ met not that long ago, they feel they can count on each other and that's important. I hope you liked the chapter! 

**Alicia** **:** I have some respect for Stoick and somehow can see the, albeit a bit unusual and twisted, way in which he cares about his son, a lot. I'm happy you liked the little hiccstrid that I have thrown in there. Before the story ends, there will be some more little scenes between them, I'll make sure of that. If that's not life, what is? Buses are the very best, I mean the interesting stories you can gain from riding those… Once, I have been pushed between the door of the bus and a sweaty guy who insisted on bringing a newly bought _lawnmower_ inside. And the bus was not big, not at _all_ (that didn't stop him, though – a very stubborn man he was). :) 

**Jiggly Joe** **:** I know what you mean. Looking at the chapter now, I see things that should be changed or re-written. I want to fix it somehow, I do, but as you said, with so many chapters it can be a little difficult. Thank you for the review, though (I hope you'll be able to read my answer). I strive to be better and I'm learning things as I go. :) I'll look into it to change a few things and maybe make it flow better. 

**Till next time!**

 **R &R**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	26. The End Part 2

**Hello peoples!**

 **The poll is still up. If you haven't voted yet, you still can. Thanks! :D**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How To Train Your Dragon – books, movies, nor TV series.**

 **Thanks to wonderful** **residentmotherhen** **for helping with the chapter. :)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **CHAPTER 26**

 **The one that ended it all (part 2)**

Astrid was cold. 

Opening her eyes, she found herself in a dark, shabby room, the only visible source of light a single, half-burned candle on the bedside. Astrid furrowed her brow, thinking hard, trying to remember - but no place like this room came to her mind. A biting breeze brushed her skin, causing her to shiver. No sound could be heard, no talking, yelling – nothing. Was she in a safe place? Were they brought there after the battle? She didn't know. Something, an unexplainable urge, wanted her to move somewhere, anywhere. Shrugging off the thin covers, Astrid got out of the uncomfortable bed. Narrowing her blue eyes, she noticed a lone door at the end of the long room. Her bare feet touched the cold, wooden floor and she shivered again, hugging herself. With each step she took, moving further away from the bed and the candle, the room became darker, more dangerous and alien. The corridor was long, and no light, except for a thin streak from underneath the door, got inside. No windows were placed in the weird hut, the walls staying completely bare. Swallowing, Astrid quickened her pace, finally reaching the door's rough handle. It turned out to be quite heavy. Either that or the battle had worn her out more than she thought. 

Finally pushing open the door, Astrid was momentarily blinded by a harsh light and her hand went to shield her eyes. As they slowly got used to the offensive light, Astrid almost threw up, any strength she still had instantly leaving her legs. Dead bodies; they were everywhere. Humans and dragons lay on the cold ground covered in fresh snow - a horrific contrast to the angry crimson blood that marked the bodies. The red liquid soaked some of the snow around the corpses as well. Astrid felt her breathing turning shallow as the cold air hit her cheeks. What happened?! Didn't they win the battle? Focus, Astrid; she reprimanded herself. Calm down. 

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe- 

"Astrid." A faint voice called from somewhere, close and far away at the same time, almost getting lost in the vast space. Turning around in confusion, Astrid saw Ruffnut trudging her way through the snow. Her face was covered in blood - hers or not it didn't matter - and her clothes, almost completely torn to shreds, left little to imagination. The female twin had a wooden cart with her, one of her hands stubbornly clutching the vehicle's handle even as she stopped walking. 

"You're awake. Finally," Ruffnut sighed, a visible puff of hot air leaving her mouth, as she looked over the shorter girl. "Come on, you're going to help me." She patted the cart's handle, her gray eyes never leaving the other blonde. Astrid furrowed her brows in confusion. 

Her head spun dangerously. 

"Help... with what?" she finally managed to utter. Talking felt weird, unnatural. Ruffnut looked at her incredulously. 

"With the bodies. To gather ours. And... to give them a proper funeral." Bodies. Gather. Funeral. Astrid felt her stomach turning once again. Hadn't they left the Sanctuary already? Looking around, she come to the conclusion that wherever they were, it most definitely wasn't the White King's Nest. Whether it was better or not, she hadn't decided yet. Astrid felt unable to explain it but, for some reason, the simple question of 'what happened' could not leave her mouth. 

"I-I..." the blonde turned back towards the hut she came from, only to see it was nowhere to be found. As if it had never been there to begin with. Instead she was met with the small girl from the slave ship. Not Liv, not the lively girl with undying fire in her shining grey eyes, no. No, she was looking at the small, thin blonde that lay dead somewhere on one of Drago's ships. Maybe they had thrown her body to the sea by now, or burnt it, or-or... Astrid's breath hitched as she realized that Hiccup, _her Hiccup_ , had a protective arm around the petite girl's frame. He looked lifeless, too pale and too thin to be considered healthy. His body was covered in blood, like during the battle, after... after the White King... He looked... dead. They both did. 

"H-Hiccup..." She moved closer and stretched out her hand to him. He didn't react, didn't even grace her with a look. It was as if he did not see her at all. 

"Astrid, what are you talking about? There's nothing there." Ruffnut's voice was filled with confusion and more than a little annoyance. Astrid bit her lip, chewing on it in thought, not understanding. Couldn't she see him? He was _right_ there. Astrid ignored her friend and moved closer to her husband and the haunting girl. Hiccup's green eyes stayed devoid of any emotion, focused on something that she, Astrid, wasn't able to see. The thin girl's blue ones turned to her slowly. 

"Astrid." The single word sent shivers down her back. _What-what do you want from me_ , she wanted to ask, to scream out, but no sound left her mouth. The small girl reached for Astrid's wrist and gripped it tightly, almost cutting off the circulation. 

"Astrid... " the girl repeated but, before she could say anything else, her face started to disintegrate. Astrid backed away in fear, the girl's hand loosening the grip. As Astrid looked at Hiccup, she saw that he was experiencing a similar fate. 

"Murderer!" Hiccup hissed her way, finally looking at her. 

_No_! She tried to scream but her throat was suddenly too dry to speak. She backed away even more and her foot stumbled across something hard. As the blonde looked down she felt sick. A snout, a Deadly Nadder's, to be precise, led to the rest of the dragon's once beautiful blue-scaled body. Marked by numerous cuts, the magnificent creature was dead. A green Nightmare, strikingly similar to the one she had killed as the winner of Dragon Training, lay by her feet, _her_ axe buried in its belly. _No, no, no_. Astrid's eyes flickered back to Hiccup and the girl. Their faces looked grisly, flaps of skin falling off and away. Astrid couldn't breathe, her head spun and she felt as if she were about to explode. The blonde screwed her eyes and gripped her hair, clenching her teeth. Falling to her knees, she cried. 

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe- 

...Astrid. 

_Astrid._

 **Astrid!**

Someone grabbed her arms and pinned her body to something made out of wood. Another person pressed a too cold hand to her forehead. For some unexplainable reason, Astrid couldn't open her eyes, stuck in the other reality. Single images of Hiccup, her brother and other people she knew kept flashing before her eyes. She banged her fist onto the wooden bed, the pulsing pain bringing her back to _this_ reality. 

"No fever, thank the Gods." 

"Astrid... please, you need to wake up." A woman's voice echoed beside her, the calming tone acting as an extraordinary contrast to the rough accusation of her husband. Astrid mustered all the strength she possessed and forced opened her eyes. Blinking rapidly, she was met with her mother's blurry yet obviously concerned face. Astrid, physically _here_ and mentally still _there_ , gripped the sleeve of Solveig's shirt. 

"Hiccup!" she gasped out as if her life depended on it. But it didn't; she was being unreasonable - yet Astrid couldn't bring herself to care. Panic settled in her eyes as her heart kept beating furiously, even after confirming that all the images, all the horrors that she had seen a moment ago were just a dream, a terrible nightmare. Astrid had had many nightmares in her life, filled with fear for her family, for her future, but never had she woken up like that. Never had she felt so shaken up after one, covered in sweat and unable to focus on her surroundings. All the stress that the recent events caused were the reason and she knew that. Her mother looked at her with pity, it seemed. 

"Hiccup is fine, dear." The woman responded in an even, soothing voice, detaching her daughter's hand from her shirt. Astrid ran her unfocused eyes over her mother and the other people that were there - Iona and a brown-haired woman she did not recognize. 

Hiccup was fine, Astrid knew that. Of course he was. The Riders' healers had started working on him immediately; they couldn't afford for their leader to die, after all. He was unconscious most of the time, yes, but more or less fine. Miraculously, none of the wounds were deep enough to be life-threatening - at least that was what Heather kept telling her whenever Astrid visited him. She wasn't sure whether to believe that or not as the wound on his lower stomach didn't look so pretty. He had lost a lot of blood, though, and that was a fact Heather didn't sugar-coat. Since the Riders claimed victory, a week or so ago, they had begun transferring the wounded to an island close by, Hiccup being an obvious priority. She had been sent there as well. Astrid had received numerous bruises, cuts and burns during the battle, a fact she didn't dwell on that much, but they were not the main reason why she had been taken there. Her leg, the one that had been grazed with one of Stormfly's spikes, needed attending. The healers had given her a remedy that was supposed to get rid off the infection that started to settle in despite their initial efforts. She was supposed to rest as well, but, thanks to the recent nightmares, she found herself unable to.

Astrid blinked again, trying to focus on the figure before her, her mother. Only bits and pieces of the nightmare stayed in her memory but it was enough to leave a cold, unpleasant feeling in her stomach. Slowly, not to worsen her headache, she sat up in her bed. 

"...talk to the healer 'bout the nightmares..." the brown-haired stranger muttered to Iona. Astrid tuned her out and took off her covers to examine her thigh. Her fingers barely managed to graze the bandages before the woman slapped her hand away. 

"Don't. Leave them be." Astrid scowled silently, not finding the strength to argue. 

"I need to... I need some fresh air." Seeing unsure looks directed at her injury, she continued, stronger this time, "I _can_ walk." 

"Short distances," Solveig butted in with her finger pointed at her daughter's leg. 

"Short distances," Astrid repeated and nodded in affirmation. Throwing her legs over the bed, she reached for the woolen boots that lay nearby. "A short walk is what I need." 

Ignoring the brown-haired woman (who was she _anyway_? Probably yet another healer from the Dragon's Edge – they had no shortage of them, it seemed. ), Astrid quickly dressed and walked out the door. It was cold outside; snow had fallen during the night and the ground was now covered in a soft, white blanket. The cold air bit her cheeks but Astrid didn't care, glad she was able to be outside at all. Her feet moved on their own, maneuvering towards a hut a few streets away. It was bigger than her own, though built similarly. The wooden construction reminded her of those on Bjargey or Berk. Dark smoke coming from the chimney signaled that the hut's residents were indeed there. 

Walking up, Astrid noticed a familiar Viking exiting the building. Snotlout Jorgenson was huddled in extra layers of fur, but even the additional clothing failed to fully cover the sick marks on his throat. Apparently, Hiccup's cousin had been face to face with Drago Bludvist sometime during the battle. Even after things had mostly calmed down, Astrid stayed apprehensive towards him at first, seeing his history with Hiccup. He seemed to have changed, though, at least a little. Gaining new respect for his older cousin, Snotlout had visited him more than once and had done everything in his strength to help. He truly cared, even though he would sooner be found dead than to admit it out loud. 

"Snotlout," Astrid nodded to him in greeting. He quickly fixed the furs to cover his throat better, some red coloring his cheeks. 

"E's awak," Snotlout croaked, his voice breaking with each syllable. The Berkian's throat had yet to heal completely, although Astrid had to admit - he was getting better faster than everyone - including her - thought he would. Last time she had seen him, he could barely force the shortest of words. Only as she noticed a small, almost unnoticeable smile on his lips did it hit her what he said. 

Hiccup was... awake? It wasn't the first time; he tended to wake up for a short moment only to fall back asleep. Astrid really didn't want to raise her hopes high but she felt it was different this time, that he would stay awake. Without another word, she reached the hut. Maneuvering through the many healers inside, she quickly found the room her husband was in. She hesitated, her right hand looming over the latch. Should she just burst in? Knock? No, knocking or calling wouldn't do much with Hiccup's condition; he probably wouldn't hear her anyway. Gently, Astrid opened the door and walked in. 

Hiccup was laying in his bed, his old, brown sketchbook held above his head so he was able to look through it. It wasn't in his room before; someone must have brought it in for him. He looked up at her and gifted her with a small smile, setting the book to the side. 

"Hi." Hiccup's voice was tired and hoarse, and Astrid worried he was going to fall asleep any moment. She moved to sit on his left side, his... _better_ one when it came to talking. She had learned that quickly enough. 

"Hey you." As soon as she sat down, her thigh started to burn. She bit her lip, swallowing the pain. Hiccup was awake for now, and she needed to use the little time she had. "How are you feeling?" 

"Fine." He scrunched up his nose in thought. "Better." His bandaged hand moved to grab her own and she laced their fingers together. "You?" 

"I'm good." Astrid squeezed his hand with a small smile. "Don't worry about me." 

Hearing her words, Hiccup frowned, his green, concerned eyes focused intently on her. 

"What about your leg?" Astrid cursed inwardly. She was really hoping that he wouldn't remember that little detail. It wasn't a rare occurrence for him to forget some things after he woke up yet another time. 

"It's getting better," she answered truthfully, not willing to give any more details. The last thing she wanted was for him to know about her reoccurring nightmares or the burning pain that accompanied her daily activities. Hiccup deserved a rest more than anyone else. Her hand found its way into his hair, ruffling it a little. He needed to wash and shave but that could wait for now. Her eyes caught the sight of his left ear. Astrid swallowed, trying not to think about the other one, the ear that they had said would not catch any more sounds. She bit her lip to stop herself from asking about it. 

Glancing at her, Hiccup moved a little, leaving half of the bed empty. Astrid lowered herself to lay by his side, careful not to cause him any pain as she did so. They had done this before during the few times that Hiccup had been awake. She missed his touch, she missed _him_ and she knew that he felt the same way. Gods, if they could have at least been in the same hut, that would be enough for her. Hiccup's hand started to stroke her arm tenderly and she relaxed into his touch, closing her eyes and imaging they were back on Berk in _their_ house, in _their_ bed. 

"They brought Toothless to me today," Hiccup said, breaking the silence. Astrid opened her eyes to look at him. He had a concentrated look on his face, making her believe that something bothered him that went further than the visit from his best friend. 

"He's been really worried about you." And that was the truth. The Night Fury had not been himself for the past week, and even Astrid had some problems with coaxing him to eat anything. His broken wing was healing nicely, though, and it wouldn't be long before Toothless could fly into the skies again. Of course that would have to wait for Hiccup to heal and no one was quite sure when that would be. Astrid received a hum in response. 

"I-I've been thinking of some kind of-of a module that-that could help with the tail," He had started to talk extremely fast, and Astrid now was sure that something was up. It wasn't the excited chatter when he talked about his new ideas - it sounded more like a distraction. His eyes were unfocused, flickering from her to the walls all the time as if he knew she was aware of what he was doing. Adding even more speed to his speech, his hands joined in the show, making quick gestures in the air. "Something to make the connection between it and the pedal to be better and easier to manage. Maybe-" 

"Hiccup," she cut him off, seeing the fatigue that talking was causing him, "What's wrong?" Her husband sighed quietly, knowing that Astrid would not back down. 

"Snotlout came to see me again." They were on the right track but that was not quite _it_. 

"I've seen him leaving your hut," Astrid nodded, turning onto her side so that she was facing Hiccup. Her tight started to protest, pulsing pain coming from the wound. She leaned back a little, trying to be sparing with her injured leg as much as she could and still being able to see him properly. She stared at him in silence, giving him the time to think. 

"My… my dad came too," he murmured after a moment and she bit her lip again as another wave of pain hit her. "He's done that a lot lately and… I just… I don't know…" He tried to shrug but he winced instead, sliding into his previous position. "He's here and it's _so awkward_ … I don't know how to… how to talk to him." 

Of course. Astrid had seen Stoick coming in and out of the hut quite often in the past week, and as much as she was glad that the Berk's Chief was trying, it might have been a little too… overwhelming, for Hiccup. Stoick, apparently, didn't know the phrase 'baby steps', and wanted to fix the relationship with his son in reality, too fast. He faced that challenge like a Viking would – head first and with full force. But he forgot the fact that Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was not a typical Viking, if one could even call him a Viking at all. 

"And," Hiccup continued quietly, "he just _sits_ here, either in silence or talking about everything and nothing at the same time." 

"He tries, Babe. He cares about you." Astrid didn't know why she was defending Stoick the Vast. Maybe because, deep down, she knew that both of them would be so much happier if they started getting along, even if just a tiny bit. Hiccup huffed in response. 

"I _know_." He let out some air and continued, staring at the wooden ceiling. "I know. But maybe we're not… cut out for that." 

"Don't say that, Hiccup." She took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. The gash by his eye was healing well, though it would definitely scar. Yet another mark on his body that he didn't deserve to have. "It _will_ get better." 

Astrid leaned to kiss him, making sure she wasn't pressing on any of his or her wounds. They took their time, savoring the moment. Pulling slightly away, Astrid looked at Hiccup with a tender smile. He looked so innocent and adorable with that familiar, crooked smile on his face. His skin was unnaturally pale, making his freckles stand out more. Seeing him like that reminded her of the shy and, at the time, weird seven-year old boy that tripped over air. Who would have thought he was going to grow up to be this… this _noble_ , this _brave_. She was about to give him another kiss when she noticed something familiar hanging from his neck. 

"Your pendant? It's back?" Hiccup glanced downwards and grabbed the coin-shaped object. 

"I, uh, I found it already on me, when I woke up." Astrid raised her eyebrows questioningly. Hiccup, letting go of the pendant, scratched at his week-old stubble distractedly. "I mean, I know it was my dad, it had to be him… I-I just don't know what to think about it. I… I thought he'd want to have it, as a reminder of my mother, I guess." 

"Have you asked him about it?" She cocked her head curiously, observing the necklace. The carefully carved-out words stood out in the sunlight. Hiccup shook his head slowly. 

"I didn't… know how." He let out a sigh. "Look, can we maybe… talk about something else?" 

"I- okay." She nodded, respecting his decision. Time, time was the key. "Just so you know, if you ever want to talk about anything-" She was rudely cut off by the ferocious growling coming from her husband's stomach. She couldn't hold back a snort as she rolled her eyes, turning to see his flushing face. He was wincing, and she had to admit that with his nose scrunched up and his eyes half-closed, he looked quite ridiculous. 

"Hungry, aren't we?" Astrid smirked in amusement as Hiccup blushed even more, the bright-red covering his whole face now. 

"Laugh all you want," he rolled his eyes at her and smiled, despite his previous shyness. "Food in here is not the best. And then dad, not knowing what to say, kept telling me about the 'delicious' yak-chops they apparently serve here…" He raised himself as much as his wounds let him and pointed with his index finger. "Ye have tah try them, son!" 

"How about that." Astrid, still laughing, tucked in a strand of auburn hair behind his ear. "I'll go and bring us some so we can eat together." 

"But… your leg…" His eyes traveled to her thigh warily, a slight frown replacing the smile. Astrid only snorted, waving him off. 

"It's _fine_. I need to walk it off anyway." The lie slipped past her lips too easily but she didn't care. She wanted to make him happy, he deserved that. She was hungry anyway, so it would benefit them both. 

"Are you… sure?" He still sounded doubtful but let her go when she started to move away. 

"Mhmm," she hummed, kissing him briefly before carefully standing up and moving towards the door. Astrid faltered a little when she saw him yawn, his hand covering his mouth. Sending him a forced smile when he looked her way, she exited the room and the hut, making her way towards the biggest building, located in the supposed center. It wasn't a real village; at least, it didn't have the feeling of one. The buildings looked to be only temporary, as if someone built them in a hurry, racing with the time to meet the deadline. Which, she had to admit, was exactly what had happened. The 'village' was not organized, and the many huts were splattered over the whole island in no order whatsoever, making it frighteningly easy to get lost. Thankfully she knew where they prepared the food as she and her mother had been there once before. 

Reaching the place, she quickly gathered a plate full of food and practically raced back to the hut and Hiccup. She wouldn't want the food getting cold. Her thigh burned, making her sway to the sides ungracefully, but she ignored it, clutching the plate with the legendary yak-chops in her hands. She was going to sit in a moment anyway. And she and Hiccup were going to eat together and talk and everything would be just fine and- 

"He fell asleep while you were away," Heather's voice called out to her just as she was about to open the door of her husband's room. 

"Oh." Was the only thing that she said. Astrid's eyebrows drew lower and the smile she had worn before disappeared. She started to feel dumb, standing there with a plate full of steaming food. 

"I'm sorry, Astrid." The black-haired girl squeezed Astrid's upper arm slightly before walking away, probably to treat one of the patients. The blonde was angry at herself for believing Hiccup would stay awake. She had seen how tired he looked and the possibility of him falling back asleep had been enormous. And yet she had behaved foolishly, ignoring the facts that were laid before her. Astrid glared down at the yak-chops as if they were to blame. Turning around, she walked back out of the hut and into the cold afternoon. 

She wandered aimlessly around, ignoring the stares she and her full plate were receiving, until a familiar young girl caught her eye. Oili was sitting on the stairs of one of the buildings at the edge of the so-called village. With her hair all over the place and right arm in a sling, she looked miserable. With new-found determination, Astrid strode her way and settled onto one of the stairs, placing the food in her lap. 

"Hi." Oili jumped at Astrid's greeting, apparently not having noticed that someone had sat beside her. Seeing the blonde, she let out a small smile. 

"Hey." Astrid glanced at the plate and handed it to the younger girl. 

"Want some?" Oili looked at her in surprise. 

"But… didn't you bring it for yourself?"' Astrid grabbed one of meat pieces and shoved it in her mouth. She pushed the plate closer to Oili with a shrug. 

"Go on." Despite Astrid's full mouth, the younger girl understood and it wasn't long before she took some food as well. They ate in silence, both lost in thought. Astrid felt so stupid. Hiccup was going to be awake again soon enough, maybe even tomorrow, so there was no reason for her to be so upset. She was lucky enough to talk to him today at all. Hiccup would soon wake up for real and then they could go back home and rest – that was a good plan, and she was going to hold onto it. Her train of thoughts was cut off by someone sobbing. 

Oili, food forgotten, had drawn her knees up and set her forehead down on them, a stream of tears pouring down her face. She used her left hand to wipe some of them away and sobbed again, trying very hard to be as quiet as possible. She noticed Astrid looking at her and forced a weak smile before turning her head away. 

"They… they s-say that he died in a battle, as a-a warrior. They... they say he ought to find a place in V-Valhalla, the brave Viking that he is… _was_." A hiccup escaped her mouth and she used her hand to cover it, stopping any noise from coming out. Her thin shoulders bobbed uncontrollably as she cowered even more. Astrid's eyebrows shot up, only to draw them back together in confusion. 

"Who…" 

"Olaf." Astrid closed her mouth as Oili sobbed once again. "In-infection from a-a stab wound." She bit her lip, now feeling silly for being so upset about Hiccup. He, at least, was still alive and fighting; he would pull through unlike others that probably were not going to. Shame made its presence as well. Olaf was a Bjargey tribe member and she had barely known him, seeing no reason to learn anything about him or other members of Ahlberg family. Astrid didn't know how to comfort Oili. Despite living in the same village her whole life, Oili seemed even more of a stranger than Hiccup. 

"I'm... I'm really sorry," she finally said, wincing at the simplicity and mediocrity of the chosen words. 

"It's all my fault," Oili breathed out barely audibly, again burying her head in her knees and draping her only good arm over her legs. Astrid's sky-blue eyes widened as soon as the words left the other girl's mouth. She hadn't been by Oili's side during the battle but she was absolutely sure that the girl had nothing to do with her brother's death. 

"What? How can you even _say_ that? Drago-" 

" _I_ brought him into that mess, Astrid!" Oili raised her head abruptly, fresh tears running down her cheeks. Astrid felt her heart drop – if it were her and Gunnar, she would have blamed herself as well. "He is... he was my b-brother, my family! We were supposed to protect each other! And I-I couldn't do anything... to save him..." In the spur of the moment, Astrid leaned forward and embraced the younger girl. Oili didn't move or say anything, but as they stayed in the embrace, the young archer's cries started to quieten and her body relaxed more, leaning into the hug. They sat in silence, an occasional sob or hiccup escaping the younger of the two. 

"Would you… would you light an arrow for me?" Astrid almost missed Oili's quiet voice. 

"What?" Oili shrugged awkwardly, holding out her right arm. 

"For my brother's… f-funeral. I can't do it, not with the broken arm and... I just..." 

"I will." 

And she did. The funeral was nothing special; there were neither materials, nor time to prepare. As cruel as it was, this was just another death among many. One could say that Drago, to some degree had won as well, taking the lives of so many courageous, fearless warriors along with him. Egil, as Olaf's Chief, recited the traditional funeral ritual, and Oili's father, limping, moved to light and release the first arrow. Arching through the air, the arrow reached the miserly fitted-out boat and lit the pyre. Sven, Oili's other older brother, drew his arrow as well and Astrid, along with a few other tribe and family members, followed. Just before firing, the blonde glanced to the right and spotted Oili. She was standing with her eyes turned downwards, Gunnar with his crutch by her side. Astrid released her arrow and watched as the Viking funeral pyre got smaller and smaller, flames dancing in the wind. 

After that, Astrid felt numb. Hiccup hadn't woken up for enough time to have a conversation. Oili had not been seen often after Olaf's funeral, understandably so. Fishlegs, Heather and, surprisingly, the Thorston twins were busy helping tend the wounded and Gunnar, as soon as his leg let him, joined in. She wanted to as well but, after her 'short' walk a few days ago, her leg had started to act up again. After receiving a scolding from the brown-haired healer from before, Solveig made sure her daughter did not leave the hut unsupervised. Walks were completely out of question. Minutes turned into hours and hours into days, Astrid had lost track of time, her only visitors being her family and even those were quite rare. 

It was ones of those, not unusual for the region, stormy afternoons when someone knocked on the door of the hut she and other wounded stayed in. Solveig, looking up from a young man with stitches across his arm, moved to open the doors. Astrid ignored it, sharpening her axe with a stone. 

"Stoick the Vast. What a pleasant surprise," her mother said stiffly, causing the blonde to look up. Massive figure of Hiccup's father entered the room, gaining attention of both healers and the residents of the small hut. 

"Good afternoon, Solveig. And Helga." He directed the second part of the greeting towards a young woman, one of the healers and a fellow Berkian. The girl bowed her head in respect and continued with the task at hand. Then, Stoick turned his eyes on Astrid. 

"Astrid Hofferson." The blonde laid her axe and the stone aside, making a move to stand up. The Berk's Chief held out one of his meaty hands to stop her. "Don't. There's no need tah." 

"Chief," she answered respectively, sliding back into a sitting position. An unpleasant feeling flooded her body as she looked at her father-in-law. Upon hearing her answer, Stoick's face turned into a grimace, or something that looked like one - she had always had a problem with reading that man's face. He walked up to her bed and flopped into a nearby chair with a huff. 

"Ye can… ye can call me Stoick. If ye want." Astrid didn't answer, keeping her hands folded in her lap. It was then that she realized she had never actually talked to him. 

"I wanted to thank ye." Her head shot up at that, eyes wide in surprise. Those were not the words she expected to hear from him. Stoick had his eyes downward and it was then that she noticed that he looked… tired, exhausted even. 

"Thank me? For what?" She hadn't done anything to be considered worthy of the praise. From the corner of her eye, she could see her mother and a few others shamelessly listening to their conversation. Privacy was something unknown in these huts. Stoick fiddled with his hands awkwardly and a sense of familiarity hit her. How many times had she seen Hiccup doing the _exact_ same thing? 

"Fer… fer believing in mah son when I didn't. And should have." Astrid bit her lip to stop herself from blurting out something on impulse. Stoick was guilt-ridden as it was, there was no need to make it worse – no one would benefit from that. "He is… lucky to have a brave woman like ye by his side." 

"It's me who's the lucky one," Astrid answered quietly, a ridiculous blush growing on her face, and turned her gaze away. She heard Stoick shifting in the chair, the wooden piece of furniture creaking under the man's weight. 

"Funny. He said the same thing." Astrid felt a bit breathless at the words, not knowing how to react. 

"I know I've made a lot of mistakes," Stoick continued after a brief moment. "I wasn't there when mah son needed me the most. I want teh fix it, I want him teh trust me. I haven't been fair to ye, either. We started on the wrong foot, it seems. Would ye… would ye consider starting over? Try again?" 

Astrid stared at the held-out hand in silence. She bit the inside of her cheek in thought, processing Stoick's words. 

"I want Hiccup happy," Astrid started slowly, weighing her words. She wet her lip and looked up. "I know you do too, _Stoick_. As stubborn as he may seem, Hiccup wants and needs you in his life." 

"Ye think so?" Stoick actually looked surprised as she said that. She gave a curt nod, observing him from the corner of his eye. Her small hand grasped his much bigger one in order to shake them. 

"As far as I'm concerned, I can give you a second chance." She drew back, shrugging a little. "But it's Hiccup whose words matter." Stoick nodded in understanding and pulled his hand back as well, some relief clear on his face. An uncomfortable silence came over them and Stoick stood up from the poor chair. He grunted and put a hand on her shoulder hesitantly. 

"He will wake up soon, I can feel it." And then he left, numerous pair of eyes following him to the doors. Astrid let out a long breath. 

Stoick, as it turned out, _felt_ right. Not even a week passed before Hiccup woke up for real, still sleeping more than usual, but feeling much more better and energetic. 

Two months later he was able to leave the island and fly back home, making numerous stops on the way. Astrid flew with him, making sure that none of the wounds re-opened or, Gods forbid, he fainted in the middle of the flight. They reached Berk at long last, but they were finally home and so it didn't matter to them. Hiccup's home island was… a mess, to put it lightly. People, new to living with the dragons, didn't know how to handle them in the village. But, with Hiccup's pointers and inventive ideas of dragon-friendly buildings, thought of while being bed-ridden for two months, Berk was on the right track. 

The villagers' welcome for the pair was varied. Some were very happy, others less, but no one could deny the couple's determination and spirit when it came to fighting off Drago and his army. Some villagers, mainly Mildew, were not ready to accept the change, claiming that living in peace with the dragons was impossible and discordant with the will of Gods. An adjustment as big as this one needed patience and time to come fully into life. Although dragons were free to roam around Berk, they still received scornful looks from some and more than once a fight broke out. With the help of Fishlegs and Snotlout, she had recently built a stable for Stormfly by her and Hiccup's house. 

Things were finally looking up. No more Drago, no more- 

_THUMP_. 

Astrid woke up from her reverie at the unusual sound. She laid her axe on the table with a raised eyebrow and stood up to check it. Toothless sent her a confused look, crooning softly, but she only shrugged in response. She leaned on the door frame between the bedroom and the rest of the house, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"Hiccup?" Her husband - who was still recovering, mind you - was sitting on his heels by the closet with a hammer in his hand and nails clenched between his teeth. As he saw Astrid enter the room, he lay down the hammer and spit the metal objects out from his mouth. His crooked smile, albeit warming up her insides, would not get him off the hook. 

"What are you _doing_?" His sheepish smile faltered a little as he glanced at the piece of furniture before him. 

"I'm... fixing our closet." Astrid narrowed her eyes at that, pulling away from the door frame and walking up closer to him. 

"It wasn't broken from what I remember…" Moving to stand by his side, she saw pieces of armor, some weapons, and his Dragon Master mask laying inside. 

"Your stash... What are you doing with it?" Hiccup rubbed his arm and moved to sit more comfortably. Astrid, kicking some of her and his clothes away, made a place for herself to sit. On his left side of course. Her husband shrugged. 

"I... I'm tired of lying, Astrid," he started quietly, playing with his fingers. "I'm sick of pretending to be someone I'm not and the Dragon Master, the ferocious Dragon Conqueror, that was never... _me_. I want to put it all past me, not forget but.. just... I-I want people to know me, not the image of the man clad in the dark armor, firing shots at their homes. People know now anyway, and those who don't will find out soon enough." He turned to her with a soft smile playing on his lips and she leaned to rest her head on his shoulder, enjoying the warmth radiating from his body. "The secret's out but… I-I couldn't have been more relieved." 

"You're throwing it all out then?" Astrid concluded but Hiccup shook his head in denial. 

"No, I, uh, I wanted to bury it behind a wall, seal it away for good this time. It-it might be useful in the future… I'm not sure." They both stared at the closet in silence. Hiccup sighed and leaned closer to her. "Too many memories, y'know?" Astrid nodded, biting her lip. Pulling herself higher, she left a kiss on his cheek. Astrid saw Hiccup letting out a smile and as he turned to her, she knew that there was an understanding between them. 

_Thank you, for… everything._

She was aware that it would never be completely fine. She knew that with Drago gone, new nightmares came at night. She knew that what Hiccup and her had been through could not be forgotten. Those events would be a scar that would last forever, but it would also be a proof of their bravery when it had been needed the most. And if Astrid had the chance to change things, she doubted she would. Because she did not regret what she had done – it was necessary for peace, for the future generations, for _them_. She had grown up so much in the past few months. Looking back, she could admit that she had been so inexperienced and naive. How wrong, how foolish she had acted at times... Just a young girl that thought she could face anything and take on the world. Astrid still had a long way before her and so did Hiccup. It would take time for things to become as normal as they could. The wounds, both the physical and emotional ones, needed time to heal, even though not every one of them would heal fully at all. But they had each other. And maybe, _just maybe_ , they would be alright after all. 

They would get their happy ending. 

**THE END**

 **A/N:**

 **Though the main story has ended, there's still an** **epilogue** **left, my friends! It should be up sometime next week. :)**

 **I hope you enjoyed it. :D**

 **Guest reviews (** from oldest to newest **):**

 **fireicewriter42** **:** _Gah, so sorry for the confusion! I would've PM'ed you but I couldn't so I made an update to the chapter. This is the actual last chapter (as you have probably already noticed) and there's an epilogue left. Thank you, though. I'm really honoured you think that! Once again, sorry._

 **Guest** **:** _Thank you so much!_ _I'm so relieved about the battle. It's one of the scenes that were planned a long time ago and I was as excited as I was anxious about it. I'm glad you like the idea of shorts, etc – I like this universe and I'm beyond happy that there are people that like it as well and want to see more. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. :)_

 **sighttobehold** **:** _Thank you! I'm really happy to hear that. Of course, lots of romance for Hiccup and Astrid. Also, as a sucker for them as parents, there probably will be more than one drabble that concentrates on that. :) Unfortunately, I don't feel myself as nor skilled enough, niether comfortable enough with writing M-rated stuff. Maybe one day I'll get there but this day is not coming any time soon, I think. I hope it won't put you off, though. :D_

 **Alicia** **:** _Hi :) I am_ _ **seriously**_ _impressed that you remembered the flower thing, I applaud you. :D So maybe, maybe… who knows? ;) Also, Stoick knows about Valka. It is mentioned in chapter 22 (The Race) when Hiccup and Astrid talk at the beginning. I hope you liked the chapter! :D_

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **R &R**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


	27. Epilogue

**Hi peoples!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own How To Train Your Dragon – books, movies, nor TV series**

 **Thank you** **residentmotherhen** **for proofreading this chapter. :D**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Epilogue**

It was midday on Berk, and a quite warm one at that especially considering where the small town was placed. Finn's father always joked that it snowed nine months of the year and hailed the other three. While it was a slight exaggeration, Berk was indeed known for less than warm weather. On days like these it should be considered punishable to not take advantage of the unusually pleasant weather. Well, that was what Finn would like to do. Instead he was stuck in the house watching over his younger siblings. His mother had to go sort out some things at the Dragon Academy and had left her son in charge of his two younger sisters and brother. 

It wasn't like the younger kids were that hard to manage - they weren't really too much younger except for little Hiccup. His two sisters, eleven-year old Eydis **[1]** and almost ten-year old Svana **[2]** were playing some kind of a game they had made up, and his little brother kept himself busy drawing in the sketchbook he received from their father. 

Finn looked through the window and saw his friends walking towards the end of the village, probably heading to the nearest beach. He wanted to go too, but he had a feeling that mom would not be happy if she came home and found the house empty because the thirteen-year old had taken his siblings for a swim. Watching wistfully out the window, his eyes caught a black speck shooting across the sky - his dad flying high in the sky on his one and unparalleled Night Fury. As Finn's dad was the Chief of the village, he was the person to break up most of the fights and resolve any problems that the villagers came up against. That, unfortunately, caused him to come back home late and tired. Of course Finn would prefer for his dad to be home more often, (who wouldn't?) but he knew that his father tried as hard as he could to be with them as much as possible. The sandy-haired boy smiled as he reminded himself that he had been promised a whole day to spend some time with his dad. Originally Finn had wanted to go on a boat, as the sea was something that had always fascinated him, but the proposition had been dismissed by his father quickly enough. Instead they were to go 'explore' together. 

No matter what they would do in the end – Finn couldn't wait to finally spend some time with his dad. 

The said man landed near their house and moved towards two arguing Vikings with the black dragon in tow. Finn really looked up to his father- he wanted to be as diplomatic and as selfless as his dad was. Besides, his father was the best dragon rider in the world – one of the first ones, too. It was him who was dubbed "The Dragon Master" at the mere age of sixteen. It was said that there was no dragon that his dad couldn't train; Finn had seen his father in action a few times, and every time he was amazed by his skills with the creatures. Mum always said that their father was born special. Dad only laughed at that, dismissing the, for him, absurd idea almost instantly. 

One could say that Finn Haddock was born special as well. While his left eye remained sky-blue like his mother's, his right one had turned light green shortly after birth. It was something rarely seen- more probable when it came to dragons, but not impossible. Dad kept joking that Finn was such an indecisive child, never knowing what he wanted, that he couldn't even settle on one eye color. The thirteen-year old would respond with an exasperated eye roll – his dad's humor was… specific. 

His dad turned around for a second and grinned, spotting Finn standing by the window. The auburn-haired Viking waved to his son, and Toothless, the black Night Fury by his side, crooned happily. Finn smiled, revealing his slightly crooked teeth, and waved back enthusiastically. Unfortunately his father had to go back to work shortly after and Finn was once again alone with his siblings. He felt a pull on his tunic and looked down to see his little brother's big blue eyes staring up at him. 

"Finny, I'm bored. Play with me." The five-year old boy was a carbon copy of their father except for his eyes and the shape of his nose. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Fourth, named after their father, (despite his adamant protests,) had a habit of calling his older brother 'Finny' which, although the older boy would never admit (the whole Viking stubbornness issues and all), was a bit cute. Especially if the boy used a 'sad baby dragon' face like he was now. 

"Alright." Finn crossed his arms and the small boy grinned. "What do you want to do, then?" Little Hiccup furrowed his brow, deep in thought. Suddenly he beamed at his older brother, his face lighting up brighter than the Snoggletog Tree after Hookfang, his uncle's dragon, set it on fire last year. Finn bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. 

"Hide and seek!" Hiccup exclaimed happily. Not surprisingly, it was the boy's favorite game to play. Like their father, the five-year old was extremely talented, well, in… disappearing from sight. Mom was often complaining that their dad was able to vanish in the few seconds you weren't looking – and little Hiccup had a very similar ability; he mastered the game of hide and seek. Eydis and Svana looked up from their game, interested. 

"We want to play too!" Svana squeaked and Eydis shrugged with a small smile. 

"Okay, okay. I'll be the seeker." The younger kids nodded and Finn turned his back, closing his eyes. As he started to count under his breath, the thirteen-year old could hear his siblings giggling as they tried to find the best hiding spot. 

"Ready or not, here I come!" he finally exclaimed, glancing around. Their house was quite big, he wasn't going to lie. There were six people, and three- four if you counted Sharpshot, (his mother did _not_ ,)- dragons living there, after all. The fact that his dad was the Chief added to that as well. Walking into the room the four Haddock children shared, Finn quickly spotted his eleven-year old sister hiding under the bed. Her fair hair, inherited from their mother, made her quite the noticeable target. 

"I found you, Eydis," he called, crouching so the sister could see him. Eydis crawled from under the bed and flicked off some bits of dirt from the her shirt. 

"I think I'm getting too old for this game. I can't find a good hiding spot anymore," she complained while fixing her hair. Some strands of her blonde hair had fallen loose from her braid. All of the Haddock children were quite small for their age. Both their father and mother were lean, not coming even close to being Viking-sized. Their dad was quite tall, though – a trait that both Finn and Eydis had inherited. The two siblings were about to go and find the other two Haddocks when they heard a loud crash coming from their parent's bedroom. Eydis and Finn stared at each other in panic before rushing out of the room towards the fateful sound. 

As the two of them burst into their parent's bedroom, they found Svana and Hiccup looking ahead. Moving closer to his younger siblings, Finn cringed. The two kids were staring wide-eyed at their parent's open closet, in the middle of which was a hole- quite a big one at that. He shivered a little. They were _so_ dead when mom returned from the Dragon Academy. Staring helplessly at the apparent disaster, a gleam of something metal caught his eye. The thirteen-year old came closer and examined the hole. Theoretically it should have led to the back wall of the room... but that was not the case. The hole showed fragments of something behind it. He touched the back wall of the cabinet, surprised to feel it move. Finn peeled back a thin layer of wood carefully, old nails falling away on their own, and found something he definitely wasn't expecting. 

It really was a second closet. Pieces of armor, weapons and stacks of yellowed, old paper were shoved inside, some of them falling out as soon as the wood had been taken away. A symbol, painted in red, covered a few of the items and Finn frowned, recognizing it as one of dad's cool tattoos. One, specific thing caught his eye and he went to grab it almost immediately. The Haddock children all gasped in amazement and surprise. It was a helmet, and unlike uncle Snot's one, it was meant to cover the whole face. Finn's first thought was that it, by some degree, looked like a dragon's head. The upper part was made of metal and had three rows of spines running up, with the largest one positioned in the middle. The piece under the metal was made of brown leather, the two segments linked by a metal strap. Finn ran his hand over the helmet. It looked old – the mask was getting rusty in several places. 

"Finny? What's that?" Little Hiccup tried to get on his tiptoes to see the object better. 

"I think that's a helmet. But I've never seen anything like this..." Eydis answered, taking the item from her older brother's hands. She started to examine it herself. The blonde girl was very interested in all kinds of weapons and metalwork, taking after their father. Finn looked down at Hiccup and Svana. 

"How did you even manage to make a hole in the closet!?" he asked incredulously, pointing at the panel of wood with the big gap in it. The miniature auburn-haired boy looked down at the floor, fiddling with his tiny hands. 

"I didn't mean to, Finny. I just wanted to find the best hiding spot and fell over." Finn sighed. Looking his brother up and down, he felt relief that Hiccup hadn't hurt himself again as he tended to do by accident. He spotted Svana taking something else from the cache. Also formed out of metal, the object looked like a couple of shoulder guards connected to each other. The red symbol made its appearance there as well. Finn crouched and dug through all the different types of armor, finding something very interesting. A small pile of crackled parchment, much more secure than the rest, was lying at the at the very bottom of the closet. The thirteen-year old started looking through them, his mismatched eyes widening as he came to the conclusion. Those were arrest warrants! And it looked like they were written for their father! He felt someone pulling his tunic but he swatted the hand away, too absorbed in the find. 

"Finn, I think-" 

"Not now, Svana. I'm reading," he interrupted his younger sister and turned his focus back to the papers. 

All together there were about fifteen of them, all of which contained more or less the same message – capture or kill the Dragon Master (sometimes a dragon rider in general,) and get rewarded. There were some pictures drawn of what, he supposed, were meant to be The Dragon Master. Truth be told, only one of them was actually well done. It showed a man clad completely in black armor and with a mask covering his face. Finn knew that their father ended the war between dragons and Vikings, but the details of how that happened remained pretty much unknown. He would have to ask his mother. Speaking of which... 

"Finn Even **[3]** Haddock, what in Thor's name happened in here?!" The elder brother cringed at the sound of his mother's shouting. He didn't even notice her coming in – that was probably the thing that Svana was trying to warn him about. Glancing around the messy room, all the items splattered over the floor, Finn felt his stomach dropping. It looked worse than he thought. If only he had paid more attention… 

"Uh… H-Hey Mom, hey, Mom. How… how was the Academy?" He waved awkwardly, wincing at his own words. His mother was definitely not happy. Her hands rested accusingly on her hips as she gifted her eldest son with an icy glare that he was pretty sure could kill people. Astrid 'Fearless' Hofferson was downright terrifying when she was angry. Even their father didn't want to cross her when she got into _that_ mood. 

"Momma, I'm sorry, it's all my fault; we, we were playing hide and seek and I t-tripped," rose the small voice of a worried little five-year old. Astrid's eyes softened as she turned to look at her youngest son - Little Hiccup was definitely momma's boy. She then turned back to the closet, her eyebrows drawing together as she looked from the armor on the floor to the papers in her son's hands. Her eyes suddenly widened and she snatched the papers from Finn. 

"Mom, is that dad's?" Eydis asked holding out the helmet. Astrid took it carefully from her daughter's hands and ran her hand along the metal parts with a somewhat shaking hand. She nodded. 

"Most of the things there, were once his." She gestured towards the armor laying on the floor and in the closet. All traces of previous anger had disappeared from her face, something Finn couldn't exactly identify replacing the previous scowl. 

"Why did dad hide it? And what's with the arrest warrants?" Finn asked, feeling a bit braver as he pointed at the papers in his mother's hands. 

"I have never told you how the war between the dragons Vikings ended, have I?" the blonde women asked with a raised eyebrow. The kids, Finn included, shook their heads and Astrid bit her lip, apparently deciding. 

"Come downstairs and I'll tell you if you want." All four Haddock children, interested. immediately perked up and were about to head downstairs before their mother stopped them. 

"One condition – you'll clean up all of this mess when I'm finished." The kids nodded vigorously in agreement before following her down the stairs. Finn, along with Eydis and Svana sat by the table, and Little Hiccup took the place beside his mother on the other side of it. As everyone was comfortably seated, Astrid forced a smile, hiding her shaking hands under the table. 

"It all begun when…" 

* * *

Hiccup was really tired. The full day of chiefing had taken a toll on him. He was angry with himself that he had come home so late again. The auburn-haired man had been really looking forward to eating dinner with his whole family but then some business, that he had to attend to, had popped up at the last minute. The kids were probably asleep by now. He sighed. 

Hiccup entered the house with the Night Fury following him. He spotted his wife sitting by the fireplace, trying, (keyword trying,) to patch a hole in probably one of Svana's dresses. Hiccup chuckled under his breath as he saw Astrid scowling at the piece of material as if it had personally offended her. Hearing that her husband walked in, she slowly laid down the cloth and went to greet him with a tired smile. Hiccup returned her embrace, pecking her lips. 

"How are you?" Astrid's brow furrowed, seeing his exhausted face. "Two ice-block kind of a day?" she asked. Hiccup just waved his hand. 

"I'm fine. How was your day?" Astrid rolled her eyes at Hiccup's stubbornness and went to heat up his dinner. Her new, experimental recipe had turned out better than she had expected it to. 

"Oh, you know, solved some problems at the Academy." She shrugged casually, stirring the food. She hesitated before continuing, "And I told the kids the story of how… how the war ended. Child-friendly version, of course." 

"And how did they… react?" he asked cautiously, his hand involuntary going to the old pendant hanging off his neck. The modified story, intended for the younger ones, was extremely sugar-coated and overly cliché but Hiccup didn't have much problem with that. He wasn't planning on telling his children what really happened any time soon. For the time being, let them be oblivious to the nightmare he and many others endured years ago. They had seen his… scars, but he and Astrid always found a somewhat-believable excuse for them, quieting down any possible questions. Astrid filled the bowl and placed it on the table. Noticing Hiccup's distress, she hugged him from behind, pressing a cheek to his back. 

"They think of you as a some kind of a hero. I mean they already looked up to you a lot, but now…" Hiccup turned to her in surprise. It was heartwarming that his children thought of him like that, not that he deserved any of the praise. What would they have thought of him if they knew the truth? Would they still have that same respect for him? He dismissed the dark thoughts and squeezed his wife's hand. 

"I'm going to change my shirt. Be right back," he quickly said, kissing Astrid on the cheek. He went to the children's room first and kissed each one on the forehead. Hiccup smiled sadly. He really wished he could spend more time with them. The tired man entered his room and opened the closet in order to take out a fresh shirt. Seeing its insides, Hiccup's eyes went momentarily wide. Returning back to the main room, he stared at his wife. 

"Astrid, why is there a hole in the middle of the closet?" 

**A/N:  
**

 **[1] Eydis = 'goddess of good luck' in Old Norse**

 **[2] Svana = 'lady' in Old Norse**

 **[3] Even = 'lucky, happy' in Old Norse**

 **TIMELINE for Inner Struggles(** because I like things organized **)**

 **00.** _Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is born to Valharama (Valka) and Stoick the Vast_

 **01**. _Valka is taken by Cloudjumper_

 **01,5**. _The Great Gathering of Chiefs; Astrid Hofferson is born to Solveig and Egil Hofferson_

 **03,5**. _Gunnar Hofferson is born to Solveig and Egil Hofferson_

 **07,5**. _Hiccup and Astrid meet for the first time_

 **09.** _'Fearless' Finn Hofferson is killed by the Flightmare_

 **14.** _Dragon Training on Berk – unknown victor; Hiccup shoots down and befriends Toothless_

 **14,5**. _Hiccup and Toothless find the Red Death's lair_

 **15,5**. _Dragon Training in Bjargey – Astrid wins; Hiccups finds the Dragon Sanctuary and Valka_

 **16** _. The Raids stop; The Red Death is killed by Hiccup and other Riders_

 **16,5**. _The Riders begin rescuing dragons and fighting with Drago more aggressively; Hiccup is captured for a few months – he loses his leg_

 **17,5**. _Valka is shot during one of the flights and dies from arrow poisoning; Astrid comes across the Dragon Master on Bjargey_

 **18,5**. _The wedding of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third and Astrid Hofferson; The Great Battle_

 **20.**. _Finn Even Haddock is born_

 **That's it. The end. I** **will** **be** **doing the series of short stories but, fair warning, the updates will be** **random** **. If you want to see a particular moment in their lives in this AU or have any** **ideas** **,** **propositions** **, let me know by sending me a** **PM** **. :D I will do my best, though once September comes, my time will be once again limited.**

 **BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY. I just want to say huge thank you, to all of you. Not only the ones that have favorited, followed and reviewed the story but also ****everyone** **that read it. I have never in millions years expected such a huge feedback and it's all thanks to YOU. Your kind words were a great encouragement and I feel that, even though I'm still a beginner, I have learned so much in the last few months. I hope you enjoyed reading the story just as much as I enjoyed writing it. THANK YOU!**

 **Special thanks to** _ **residentmotherhen**_ **for helping me out so much with the story!**

 **For the** **Guest** **reviewers** **! Will it be alright to answer your reviews for _this_ chapter in the first oneshot from the series? Please let me know. ;)**

 **Guest reviews. (** _from the oldest to the newest_ **):**

 **Guest 1** **:** _Thank **you** for reading it. ;) I'm really happy to hear that and I hope that you enjoyed the epilogue just as much. :)_

 **Guest 2** **:** _Reviews like that really warm my heart. I really don't deserve all those kind words but I'm beyond grateful for your reviews. You've been here since the first chapter, through thick and thin, and your words were that of a great encouragement. I'm glad you saw that chapter as both sad and happy. War brings pain but they have hope of the better future as well. Healing takes time but… they'll get there one day. I hope you'll like the epilogue. It has a happier ring to it, a bit of a contrast to the few last chapters. I'm a sucker for happy endings, though. ;) Should you leave a review, would it be okay if I answered it in the first oneshot that will be posted? I could still answer your review and you have mentioned that you will be reading them. :D_

 **Guest 3:** _I'm so glad to hear that you loved it. :D I couldn't kill Hiccup, how would I have lived with myself if I did? ;)_

 **Tiliepops** : _Thank_ _ **you**_ _for the kind words! I hope you enjoyed the epilogue just as much!_

 **Alicia:** _You're so sweet. Hugs and kisses to you too. And no worries, I understand. ;) Oh, I know the feeling all too well. And then there's this time period when I can't read anything – here it's called something like a book hangover, I don't know if you know what I mean? ;)But, hey, there are still the short stories. I hope you enjoyed the epilogue._

 **Exij:** _Well, have a good time. ;) I hope you don't stumble upon this huge minecraft reference in chapter twen- Shoot… I've said too much. :P_

 **THANK YOU. IT HAS BEEN A GREAT PLEASURE AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU IN THE FUTURE**

 **Till next time!**

 **~InsertACreativeNameHere**


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